The Soul Takers
by LoLGoau
Summary: While touring the halls of the Institution of War, Thresh encounters someone much like himself. At first he sees the pretty fox as a rival for his harvest of souls, and she has the same thoughts of him. Follow their first meeting in this fan fiction and find out how they come to terms with each other. Now a trilogy!
1. Chapter 1: The Fox and the Warden

_A little fan fiction of the two champions who I consider soul takers. While I do not know if I captured their personalities exactly, or if this is how they would react to one another, I've always wanted to do something with Ahri. Since Thresh came out not long ago, I began to plan, however only recently have I had the idea of the two being a couple._

_I do not own League of Legends, work for Riot, or any of the champions. All pairings mention in this fan fiction are either my own thoughts or from the fan fictions of others that I enjoyed reading. I hope everyone enjoys._

**_The Soul Takers_**

His chains scraped against the ground, his footfalls silent as ever, as Thresh, the Chain Warden as his title called him, was impressed beyond words. The wonder, strength, freedom, and power of all around him were far more than he had ever imaged. It was how the expression went, like he was a kid in a candy store.

Only his candy was not food. It was the people that he saw.

While the buildings for the Institution of War and League of Legends were grand structures, it was the people who roamed the halls that most captivated him. From the northern, icy lands of Freljord to the seafaring port island of Bilgewater to the uncharted jungles and deserts, he could hardly believe his eyes.

And yet, here he was, a specter brought back to live from the accursed Shadow Isles among the most powerful and influential men, women, children, avatars, robots, and… well, he didn't know what else, but they were all wonders before his eyes. While Thresh could not understand why ones such as children or robots were involved with the League, it mattered little; though the ones called yordles were quite strange to him. What did matter was that he was here, among them, and in their eyes he was no more than another champion selected to represent his home. What a laugh!

However, there were those who did know who he was and what his intentions were. Mordekaiser, the warrior necromancer, and Hecarim, the risen centaur, knew him well and had even had dealing with him. Others, such as Yorick and Evelynn, knew only enough to stay away from him. He'd have to be careful so as to not give his "fellow" representatives reason to warn the other champions. Such an act could very well ruin his plans for the future of this gathering of the strongest.

Thresh smiled to himself, his mind going over the dark thoughts he would soon exert onto these unknowing souls. As he thought, he raised his lantern to his face, peering into it and through the eerie green light of it. At the center of the light, where only the dead or those who dealt with death could see, the swirling, pained souls of those he had captured screamed out in pain and fear. Whenever he narrowed his eyes on one, that one would shriek and flee to the center of the lantern, preferring the pain of the light to his attention should he wish to resume a previous session.

Yes. This would be a grand chapter in his afterlife. As it went on, he'd only enjoy it more. Perhaps he should get one of those diaries or journals to keep notes in. After all, with such a wide and diverse selection, some methods may be useful on more than one, and with a different reaction for each.

Over joyed by the possibilities alone, Thresh began to swing his chains in a hand each, one connected to his lantern of souls and the other to his sickle. There was no one in this hallway, for whatever reason, so he even closed his eyes so as to focus his dark thoughts on the mental images he had for each of the champions he had already seen.

"Hmm."

A sudden sound caused him to stop, his eyes snapping open. In front of him was a girl, her eyes staring intently at him with an odd wonder to them. She had the ears of a fox, several tails behind her, whiskers on her cheeks, beautiful raven black hair atop her head, and tiny fangs procuring from her mouth. She wore a bright red and white robe-like dress, the top of it revealing the tops of her fleshy breasts, the middle held tight with a cloth belt, and the lower half with a slit at its side to reveal her legs. The sleeves appeared to be different articles of clothing yet matched well with the rest of it, intricate orange and yellow patterns decorated the whites and sleeves of her outfit, and there was a tassel connecting to the top half of her outfit. Finally, an orb was bounced back and forth from among her tails, its color changing from a green to blue.

Something about that orb seemed familiar to him, but he could not place why. As far as he knew, this was the first time he had seen this girl and her orb.

His eyes found their way to her golden, curious eyes. The two stared at one another, looking into the other's very soul with calculating gazes. The only sounds between the two were the orb being tossed from tail to tail, the gentle noise whenever her ears twitched, his chains falling down to his sides and lightly swinging, and the otherworldly sound of his lantern.

The two of them stood like this for minutes, holding one another in that tense gaze, until one tail missed the orb. As it hit the floor, bouncing like it was made of glass but not breaking, they both watched it as it bounced twice, and then rolled to Thresh's left leg and paused.

Without thinking, he crouched down, placed his lantern on the ground, and picked the orb up. He stared into it for a moment, and then looked to the fox-like girl and held the orb out to her.

She turned her head to her orb, breaking the stare on him, and then, slowly, reached out. As her delicate, small, smooth, and flawless hands took the orb, the small fingers of her hands grazing his hand, the orb suddenly turned a bright red. She then lifted it from his palm and looked back up into his eyes. "Thank you." She said, a smile forming on her features. It was oddly soothing.

Before he could bend down to pick up his lantern, one of her tails moved over its handle, not the chain, and lifted it in front of him. He took hold of it by the chain, and then waited for her tail to release its hold before he let his arm and lantern fall slowly to his side. "Thank you." He heard himself say.

The awkward silence returned, but it did not last. "You are a soul thief too?" She asked, the two tiny fangs in her mouth revealed themselves as she spoke. It was not a threat or warning, but seemed somehow kind and happy.

"Yes, of sorts I suppose." Thresh said. Though it was a kind way of putting his profession, technically he could be described as such. He saw no reason to go into detail as that was close enough. "Is that orb the item you keep your captives prison?" He asked.

She giggled, a delightful sound to even his ears, and covered her mouth with her right hand. "It is where I store the essence of my victims, yes." She answered. She tilted her head, a frown forming as her eyes went to his lantern. "What do you mean by captives? Is that some kind of holding cell?" She asked.

He felt himself swallow, odd as his throat was no longer what connected his head to his body. He held up the lantern and tapped the side with his sickle's point. "I was once a prison warden. In here are my prisoners." He explained.

She leaned forward, and then turned her head, putting her ear close to the glass but not touching it. After a few seconds, she leaned back, turning back to him. "They're screaming." She stated.

Before he could respond, she lifted her orb to him with her left hand. He repeated her action, leaning the side of his head to her orb. After a few seconds, he pulled away and looked at her. "They are… screaming?" He asked.

Again, she smiled. "Moaning." She corrected. She took note of his express and began to explain. "I do not collect souls, but the essence of others; their life essence."

She collected their life essence, not souls, and this act made them… moan? Whenever he collected a soul, it was pulled, screaming in anguish, from the dying body. "What is the reason for them to be moaning?" He asked, unable to hold the question back.

She smiled, closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and opened her eyes before she spoke with a seductive tone and slightly red cheeks. "I cannot tell you. It's kind of… private." She said with a voice a little louder than a whisper. She tilted her head to the side, a playful look on her face. "If you tell me the reason for your souls screaming, I will tell you the reason my essences are moaning." She offered.

Thresh looked to his lantern, recalling only a few of the tortures he had delivered onto a few of his victims, and then looked at the fox-girl before him. His eyes went to her orb, still a bright red, almost pink, color, before looking back to the girl's eyes. Finally, he nodded, agreeing to her deal. "These souls," he began, "are the prisoners I have acquired over the course of my afterlife. I have tortured them to the brink of death, and then, when their bodies could no longer hold them to this world, ripped the souls from their bodies and trapped them in my lantern." He informed his voice malicious and proud of his dark deeds.

Surprisingly, to him, she did not back away from fear, but frowned. She straightened, standing to her full height, and placed her hands behind her back as he orb floated before her. By the look of indifference on her face, he knew she had killed before. She reached out to her orb with her right hand, her index finger trailing along its surface as she spoke. "I had sex with my victims." She began. "Each essence taken with the orb, I had extracted from their bodies as my victim and I engaged in sex. At the end, the climax, they died with a smile, with a blissful, pleasurable end." She finished.

Both of them stood in silence, watching the other. The warden was a taken of souls who tortured the living to death before ripping the soul from the nearly lifeless corpse, prolonging the suffering he would cause the individual indefinitely. The fox-girl was a thief of essences who pleasured the willing and unknowing before sucking them dry, sending them to heaven before trapping them forever. They were soul takers, even if their methods were directly opposed to the other, and what they collected was different.

After a minute, their eyes met once more.

"You're a succubus." Thresh claimed.

"You're a torturer." The fox-girl claimed.

Both had spoken their accusations at the same time, and with the same deadly, warning tones. The looks each gave the other suddenly turned to glares. The orb turned a dark red; the lantern's glow grew brighter. One could almost see sparks flying between their eyes. After several tense moments, their scowls turned to smiles as they both took a step back.

Thresh began swinging his lantern and sickle haphazardly by the chains that connected them, twirling them around him and preparing his attack. While his lantern was intended for capture and storage, he could demand the souls within to protect him from the attacks of others. Luckily for him, unluckily for the souls, it did not destroy them or end their torment, only enhanced it with another's touch. His sickle, on the other hand, was purely for the living's pain, and painful it had proved to so many people.

The fox-girl, however, seemed unconcerned. Her orb floated just over her right palm, swirling a variety of colors ranging from red, green, blue, and everything in between. Her tails danced behind her back, a warning to predators to stay away; in this case, him. She showed no fear in her eyes as she took her stance, nor hesitation for that matter.

Thresh smiled, pleased to see that this girl would not break like others. "My name is Thresh." He said.

The fox-girl smiled, her golden eyes shining. "My name is Ahri. It's a pleasure to meet you." She said.

"Likewise." He added.

And then they lunged for one another.

Thresh swung his sickle vertically, but hit only air, and then the carpet floor. A few strands of raven hair drifted in the air, along with white fur, as his eyes turned to the right, he saw Ahri there. She had dodged, but not by jumping out of the way, merely sidestepping away.

Ahri crouched down for but a moment, and then jumped into the air with a twirl, aiming a kick at Thresh's head. She felt the heat of the specter flame that burned around his skull, but did not make direct contact. He had ducked, leaving an inch or two of space between her foot and his head.

He loosened his grip on the chain half that held the sickle, and used the extra length to wrap around her extended leg. He pulled her to the ground, forcing her to grunt as he knocked the wind from her lungs, and brought his hand back, making a fist.

As the blow came, she raised her left hand and caught the blow. She moved it to her left, keeping him away from her, and pushed herself up. Her forehead collided with his, the heat hardly registering to her, and then she forced her orb into his face, blocking his vision. The bright lights forced him to back up a couple of inches, giving her time to regain her footing and recompose herself.

When she looked up, a blinding light was all she could see, cries of pain were all she could hear, and a flash of pain in the right side of her face was all she could feel. She faintly heard the sound of glass shattering as her mind went blank.

Several seconds later, Ahri realized she was outside on the grass. She flinched as sharp pains stung the left side of her face and shoulder. She reached up and found it to be glass poking painfully into her cheek. After quickly but carefully removing them, she felt the relieving magic of her orb healing her wounds.

A whistling sound was heard, and she leaned to the side, narrowing avoiding the chain sickle before it struck her back or head. She gripped the chain in both hands and gave a mighty heave, pulling Thresh outside as well.

He let out a gasp as he was dragged through the window frame, and then grunted when he felt something hit him in the back. Looking up, he saw Ahri's knees as one of them drew back. He was blinded when it came back, smacking him in the face. This was no succubus, he was finding out. She was fighting like a cornered animal.

Ahri grunted as the fires around his skull hurt her knee, but then recovered and backed away. She readied her orb and tossed it at him, but the attack was blocked by a shield of green, swirling souls. The source appeared to be his lantern, so she aimed her next attack at it.

Before she could, Thresh recovered and threw his chains at her legs. As soon as she was caught, he pulled, tripping her. He crawled over her, dragging his lantern with him, and held it in front of her face. Ahri, in turn, moved her orb to his lantern.

The two containers fought one another for the soul or essence of the one wished harm onto their master. Ahri's orb fought Thresh's lantern for his life essence, and his lantern fought her orb for her soul. Screams of agony and moans of pleasure were all that sounded as the two containers cried out in protest to the other's resistance.

"What are you two doing?" Came an unfamiliar voice.

Both heads turned to the tall, metallic Nautilus. To his left, under his arm, was Nami. The Titan of the Depths and the Tidecaller were several feet away, along a path leading away from the Institution of War. It was only by chance that the two had come across the two soul stealers, and it took away the seriousness of the situation almost immediately.

Thresh pushed himself off Ahri, retrieving his chains, sickle, and lantern. He then helped Ahri up, dusted himself off slightly, and then returned her orb to her. He then put his hands behind himself, hiding his sickle and lantern, and shrugged. "Oh, nothing really. I was only introducing myself to this lovely lady. By the way, I am Thresh." He said, introducing himself.

Nautilus and Nami looked to one another, and then to the two of them. Nami spoke. "Would the two of you like to join us? We were just on our way to the park for the couples' special lunch." She blushed, hiding herself behind the giant sailor, before continuing. "I've never been to one of these Valentine dates, but Nautilus said it was only a lunch." She whispered, embarrassed.

Ahri shot a glare at Thresh before turning to the couple. After a moment, she smiled playfully, and then grabbed Thresh's left arm, putting her head on his shoulder. "Of course we would! Spooky here was just showing me what was inside her lantern." She explained.

It was the Chain Warden's turn to glare, but he was silenced by her hand pinching his arm. One of the disadvantages of having this kind of body was that he could feel physical pain. They met with evened glares. After a few moments of silently arguing through eye contact, he turned to the couple and smiled. "If the two of you are busy, or planned this to be private, then we will have to politely decline." He said, earning him another, harder, pinch.

Nami's eyes turned to Nautilus. Reluctantly, he sighed before looking to the two new people. "You two may come. In fact, I insist." He said. Ahri smiled and began to move toward them, but he held up his hand, halting her. "A warning: No life taking! This is a date, not a brawl." He threatened before adjusting his anchor on his right shoulder.

The warning was clear: Mess up this date, and I sink you both.

Led by the fox-girl Ahri, Thresh was pulled behind Nautilus and Nami when they turned and continued down the stone walkway. It was aggravating, irritating, embarrassing, and maddening to know that he had no control over the situation. Somehow, this girl holding his left arm, the one containing his lantern, had completely taken away his control and now, enforced by the giant with the anchor in front of him, was at her mercy.

He leaned his head to the side, whispering as he spoke to her. "Might I ask who these two are?" He asked. If he was a partial captive, for now anyway, he might as well test the length of his chain. Besides that, he was curious about these two.

One was a massive man in metal and rubber, effortlessly carrying a large anchor of steel in one hand with a short length of chain on it. He did not appear at all to be a normal person and the look in his eyes and color of his face told him such. The other one, a much smaller female under the giant's arm, had a tail and traveled on a small current of water, yet did not leave the ground wet. Her scale-like clothing and jewelry let him know she was from a place he had never been to, and she was clearly unfamiliar with her new environment.

Ahri blinked, her eyes turning to him for a moment, and then spoke her answer. "The big guy is Nautilus, a former sailor that the Institution employed long ago. The woman is Nami, a Maria and the Tidecaller of her people; some kind of champion to them. They are both Champions of the League of Legends." She answered. She assumed that he had picked up she was a champion too as she thought the same of him. "It's Valentine's Day and the League is holding a special brunch for couples. I have no idea why these two are together. Nautilus never showed interest in anyone before." She added.

The Titan turned his head to the two of them, one eye peering at them. "We're old acquaintances, and that had better be all the rumors say." He warned, glaring. Thresh was indifferent. Ahri merely smiled. Nami's hand gently, lovingly, touched his hand.

After a few more minutes, the four arrived at a large park within the grounds. All around, there were groups of champions from the League eating a variety of foods. Thresh was shocked to see so many of them, each table containing two "people". Ahri let out a whistle, amazed to see that so many had showed up. Nautilus led Nami to a stand with a small, furry fellow behind it.

"Hey there, are you four a double date?" The little fellow asked. He wore a tuxedo with a white undershirt, his hair was combed back, his facial hair tended, and he had a bouquet of pink, red, and white roses next to him. He looked like the groom at the most important wedding of all time.

Nautilus turned to Thresh and Ahri, then Nami, and finally back to the little fellow. "I suppose so, Rumble. Do you have any tables for four?" He asked.

The yordle pulled out a notebook from his pocket and began scanning over it. Finally, he nodded. "Table number 37 is open. You can get the chairs from table 38 if needed, but 37 has benches." He said as he looked up. "That'll be 5 gold per couple." He said.

As he held out his hand, Nautilus lowered his anchor behind his back and removed his hand from Nami's shoulders, and then removed the glove from his left hand, revealing it to be as dark as his face. With his ungloved hand, he picked out ten gold coins, three of them bent and two with smudges on them, and placed them into the yordle's waiting hand.

Rumble looked at the coins strangely before looking up with a confused face. "You'd be surprised what you find traveling through the oceans of the world. An example would be a chest of gold coins." The Titan explained.

Rumble nodded his contentment and then sat down. He turned to the side and began moving, revealing his mecha suit from behind the stand. "Follow me." He said as Nautilus placed his glove back on, lifted his anchor, and then gently put his arm over Nami's shoulder. She smiled up at him, her eyes sparkling for a moment before she looked back to where she was going.

Thresh and Ahri followed the two. He had missed the loving, silent exchange in favor of watching the others around. She, on the other hand, had caught it and smiled playfully. She hugged herself closer to her specter date, causing him to avert his eyes from those around and focus on her. Before he could speak, they had arrived.

Nautilus pulled out the chairs from the table labeled 38 and stood behind one of them. Nami looked at him, confused for a moment, and then sat down in the chair. When he carefully pushed her up closer to the table, she looked back over her shoulder before quickly turning and looking at her hands; she was blushing. He then took a seat on the bench next to her; his anchor being dropped on the ground behind him.

Thresh merely sat down on the other bench, letting his sickle and lantern sit beside him. He put his hands behind his head and began to look around. He paused when he saw Ahri glaring at him.

"You're supposed to hold the chair out for me, your date, and then sit down yourself." She explained, tapping her foot in anticipation. It was clear she was annoyed at this point.

Thresh shrugged his shoulders, smiling at the look on her face as she pouted. "Ah, but why should I? You are not my date, but my rival." He said truthfully. He then watched as she 'huffed' and pulled the chair out herself before plunking herself down. "As rivals, I do believe we can date. I will pay for our meal." He said, and then laughed as she puffed up her cheeks and glared at him.

Nautilus tapped the table, gaining their attention. When both of them looked at him, he proceeded to speak. "Could the two of you please not start a fight until after the summoners are about and calling us to their matches?" He requested. He then turned to Nami. "I've heard they have a large selection of sea food, if you prefer that to our surface food Nami." He informed, his voice losing the threatening tone and changing to a more caring one.

Nami had been staying out of the commotion until she heard her name. She thought about it for several seconds before answering. "What is steak? I've heard of it being grilled and cooked in many other ways, but I've never tried it." She answered.

The Titan thought, considering what to tell her, before looking back to her. "It's a type of beef that is tough and chewy, to some anyway." He explained.

While the two watery champions spoke about what they were going to order, Thresh turned the Ahri, sitting at his right. She appeared to have calmed down considerately, but still had a scowl on her features. "And what will you be ordering?" He asked.

The girl looked at him, and then her face began to soften as she turned her mind to thinking of his question. As a specter, he did not need to eat, but she appeared to need the nourishment. Finally, she spoke. "I'll wait until the waiter arrives." She said with a smile. She was thinking of revenge.

Instead of human, yordle, or otherwise waiters, it appeared small robots with TV heads were waiting the tables. Each one appeared yellow, held small computer tablets, and went from table to table. Delivering the orders were the two robotic Champions Blitzcrank and Orianna. The large, yellow robot launched the orders to the tables with the use of his rocket propelled hands, held them there for a few moments, and then retracted them if he got a tip or when he realized there would be no tip. The smaller ballerina robot danced toward each table to deliver an order, and then to return and await a new one. The two seemed happy enough to be with one another and helping the others in this way, earning awes and cheers now and again. The Ball, Orianna's companion, watched like a mother hawk would its children, keeping an eye on its charge.

When one of the little robots found its way to their table, Nautilus and Nami were still talking about what to order for themselves so Ahri ordered for herself. "I'll take a salad with everything in it, a bottle of sour cream flavored ranch dressing, a side order of kiwi and pine apple slices, and a bottle of red wine, cherry or raspberry flavored." She said, and then glanced to Thresh.

He showed no reaction until the robot turned its head to him. "Get me the soul of a bar wench." He said plainly. The other three turned to him when he said this as the robot typed out the order. He looked up and shrugged before looking back to their waiter. "With sparkling water." He added. The robot put in this as well without question before looking to Nautilus and Nami.

"We will take the seafood special with steak for two, a glass of lemonade, and a bottle of rum." Nautilus said. As the robot typed this in, the Titan turned to Thresh with a questioning look in his bright orange eyes. "The soul of a wench? Are you a mystic animal too?" He asked.

The warden made a sly smile and began to hum what sounded like a nursery rhyme. He made it obvious that he would not answer so Ahri did for him. "He's a soul thief, like me, but tortures his victims." She said, unusually pouty. Normally, she had control over whoever she chose, but, with this specter with chains, she was unable to establish such a control over him. Though she had made him come with her, he was making it a game just as much as she had planned. Who the winner would be was still undecided and contested.

The Maria Tidercaller frowned as she looked from Ahri's face to Thresh's before finally settling her eyes on Ahri. "You two were fighting when Naut and I found you both. Why?" She asked.

Ahri rolled her eyes as she leaned back in her chair. A thought came to her, along with a sly smile. "It's a little embarrassing, but…" She leaned forward, put her elbows on the table, her head in her hands with the palms on her cheeks, and blushed; her tails fluttering excitedly. "Spooky bumped into me in the hall, causing me to fall back and drop my orb. Like a gallant knight, he sheathed his weapon and extended his hand to help me up, calling me "Lovely lady". I blushed as I took his hand, and then he lifted me to my feet. He took me by the hand, bent forward, and kissed it while he reached for my orb. As he returned it, he smiled the most sincere smile I've ever seen, and then said "Please forgive my carelessness. I hope you are not harmed, and do not be afraid of my outward appearance". He was sooooo sweet!" She exclaimed.

"And then reality broke her fantasy when I smacked her out of the window with my lantern." Thresh said as soon as she stopped.

Nautilus and Nami, intrigued by the story, were now very confused. When they had come across the two, they were holding their glowing weapons to one another on the ground. Had it not been for Ahri's tails, they would not have even known it was her under the bright light.

"Order-Up." Came the mechanic voice of Orianna, holding out two trays of food. She sat the seafood tray in front of Nautilus and Nami, and then the tray containing Ahri's salad in front of her. "The-Wench-Will-Be-Here-Shortly." She added before turning and dancing away.

Thresh let out a sigh as he reached for his drink of sparkling water in a glass. "I can wait." He called out before taking a sip, a little bit of steam rising from his lips when the water made contact with his lips. "How fares the abyss Nautilus? The last time I was there I was on a sinking ship pulling one of the sailors from the doomed vessel. He wishes he had been eaten by the sharks as well, but I had other plans." He asked, speaking causally.

Nautilus shook his head. "I am not a creature of the abyss, but one of its victims." He said.

"A shame. I had been hoping they were more than mutants." The warden added.

Nami leaned in a little at the mention of her people's rivals. "You know of the creatures of the abyss?" She asked, curious. These monsters had plagued her people for generations. Any help she could return to her people would be a great help until she found the moon stone to protect her people.

Thresh took another sip of his drink before answering. "Nothing, really. I've only had the chance meetings, but I do know they are quite the vicious creatures. We have nothing, absolutely nothing, like them in the Shadow Isles. Honestly, I'm more afraid of them than I am of those I live with, and I live with the risen dead!" He said, making it out to be a grand explanation as he spoke.

While Thresh told his stories to a captivated audience, Ahri's eyes took in all of the couples who were present. She was surprised to see a few same gender couples, but most were the average couple.

Akali and Shen sat under a tree, appearing to talk to one another as they ate traditional Ionia food. Teemo and Tristana lay on a blanket watching the clouds, eating sandwiches and drinking from mugs. Soraka and Trundle, an odd pair, relaxed near the fountain, watching the fish swim as they spoke. Anivia sat perched on Malphite, both of them helping the two robots by keeping food cold or pounding certain foods. The laughter of Annie and Nunu could be heard around the park, the two being seen now and again as they played; even Tibbers and Willump seemed to be having fun. Ashe and Tryndamere, of course, sat together enjoying food from their homeland, but it seemed homemade; as though they had made the food for the other.

Across the way, in another part of the park, Caitlyn, wearing a new, beautifully crafted necklace walked arm in arm with Taric, who beamed with a smile. Up in a tree, Cassiopeia slowly trailed one of her slender fingers along the chin of Shyvana, who in turn ran the fingers of one of her hands through the scaly temptress's green hair. The sounds of fighting signaled a duel in progress between Darius, the Hand of Noxus, and Fiora, the Grand Duelist; by the smiles, both were only sparring. Further from them lay the form of Dr. Mundo, face down in the dirt, with a smiling Vayne leaning on a tree near him as she read a heart-shaped card; her crossbow hung from her arm without an arrow.

Among the other tables were Draven and Sivir, Evelynn and Shaco, Ezreal and Sona, Fizz and Riven, Olaf and Sejuani, Graves and Janna, Jarvan IV and Karma, Jax and Sarah (Miss) Fortune, Jayce and Vi, Kassadin and Irelia, and Kog'Maw and Morgana. Many of the pairings seemed odd to Ahri, but, then again, here she was with a glowing, green specter with a floating, flaming skull. Suddenly, Nautilus and Nami did not look so strange in her eyes. It must be due to Valentine's Day, or Twitch had taken Cupid's job and arrows and was spraying and praying.

"Here-Is-Your-Wench-Sir." The voice of Orianna brought her back into the real world and out of her own private thoughts. The female robot placed a one-foot tall, three-inch wide vial down in front of Thresh. It was clear, an eerie fog within it, and was closed with a rubber stopper. "Do-Be-Careful-When-You-Open-It. That-Is-Our-Only-Wench." She informed.

As she left, Thresh picked up the bottle, removed the stopper, and then put the top to his lips. As he drank (?) it, the fog within began to retreat into his mouth. When it was all gone, he removed the bottle from his face and let out a satisfied sigh. "A good wench! A shame there was only one. Haha!" He laughed before setting the bottle down and retrieving his drink. The three staring at him gained his attention. "You will judge me for my taste in spirits?" He asked.

He turned the bottle around, letting them see the label. It did say wench, but it was a drink exported directly from the Shadow Isles. "A little bit of home away from home, and a little something I've been trying with the help of a fellow called Singed." He explained. He leaned forward, smiling as he did. "It was intended to be a meal and a drink, a soul and a spirit, all in the form of a convenient, single serving drink. If nothing else, it has paid for my traveling expenses here. Haha!" He added, laughing once more.

Ahri picked up her spork and stabbed at her salad, twisted it once, and then took a bite. She savored the taste as her date spoke, describing his meal, and then to him laughing as he spoke. She only half listened to him. When he finished, she put her hand over his glass of water, forcing him to turn to her. "You said you traveled here?" She asked. He nodded. "How, if I may?" She asked. The smile was back on her face, but this time there was no scheme behind it. If he wanted control, he could have it for the time being. She'd just take it back later on.

Finally, Thresh frowned, like he had been playing a game and was suddenly no longer having fun. He released his grip from the drink and leaned back, forgetting the bench he sat on did not have a back, and fell backwards. "Damnit." He muttered.

Instead of the fox-girl's laughter, like he had been expecting, he saw her hand in front of him. For several seconds, he stared at it, as if it were a trap, and then reached for it. Surprisingly, she merely helped him up. When he was up, he saw that she was still smiling, but it was not a large smile of humor or a smirk, just a smile. "Thank you." He said, suspiciously.

Ahri only winked, and then turned back to eating her salad. Her strategy had changed.

After bidding Nautilus and Nami a farewell and thanking them for the invitation, Thresh and Ahri waited until the two were out of sight before turning to one another. Both smiled at the other as their eyes narrowed; sparks could almost be seen as their eyes locked.

"Thresh?" A sudden, familiar voice caused the warden to startle, breaking eye contact. "What are you doing here?" Asked the voice.

Thresh slowly turned around, and then smiled his biggest smile at the speaker. "Mordekaiser! Have are you my friend?" He asked as he extended his hand with his eyes closed. He felt someone take hold of his hand, so he began to shake. "I have to say, this place is far grander than you or that pony had described to me. And the people here, the Champions of the League, all look like they would make fine soldiers in your army of the damned." He said, forcing the enthusiasm in his tone.

"I am not a pony." Thresh opened his eyes to see a different speaker. "And the master asked you a question. Answer it, you whelp!" There was no question in the tone of Hecarim. He was a fiercely loyal soldier of the necromancer, almost to the point of admiration.

The warden, his smile never fading, released the hand and held up both of his, gesturing around them. "Why, I wanted to see the Institution of War and all its grandeur. Is that so wrong?" He asked. He held out a hand to Ahri, as though in introduction. "While I was exploring the halls, I found this soul stealing vixen. She had been kind enough to offer me a tour." He explained.

Both residents of the Shadow Isles looked at Ahri, suspiciously, appearing the weigh the words of their comrade. It was a losing wager, as the two knew her as well, but she thought to play along so it would not turn into a three-on-one battle. "Oh yes, Spooky showed me his little green lantern of wonders, and I showed him my essence orb. After talking for a time, and going to the special brunch today, we've been finding out so many things we have in common!" She said with her beautiful smile beaming as she spoke.

The two were obviously, and truthfully, surprised. Even Thresh appeared to have not expected this as he did not so much as glare at the mention of her given nickname for him. Finally, Mordekaiser spoke, but not before clearing his throat. "I see." Was all he said before turning to his warden comrade. "Remain discreet should you feel the need to indulge in your pleasures." He ordered, and then tapped Hecarim's shoulder. "We are leaving." He said.

As the two left, Thresh leaned toward Ahri, still watching the two walk away so he could straighten in case one of them turned around to face them. "We've more in common than the simple reaping of living lives and keeping of their souls?" He asked.

The fox-girl giggled lightly, two of her tails wrapping around his arm to draw her closer to him. "Do we? I just did not want them staying around." The grip tightened, though it did not hurt. "And we both enjoy control over your partners." She added, a dark look appearing in her eyes.

The warden was then aware of his right hand hurting from the grip he held on his sickle. His eyes moved from the two armored champions in the distance to the girl's face, and then to her orb behind her head. It was a brilliant green. It appeared to be time to finish their little squabble from earlier.

He wanted her soul; she wanted his life. His lantern began to glow as he took a step away from her; her tails released him as her orb moved to her hands. Their eyes locked once more. This was going to be fun for the both them.

Or it would be if people quit interrupting. "Hey Master! There is a fight going on!"

Thresh and Ahri turned their heated glares to a smiling Wukong, and then to a startled Master Yi when he emerged from the path. "A fight? Who is fighting who? I thought the conflict between Nidalee and Elise was over." He said. His goggles narrowed on the two before him. Wisely, he stepped to the side, out of sight. His hand emerged and gestured for his student to come to him.

As the monkey went, jumping from tree to tree playfully and using his extending pole to pole-volt over the final distance, he landed lightly on his feet. He was then pulled behind the tree, out of sight of the two soul takers. There were muffled whispers, startled reactions, and then silence.

Ahri crossed her arms over her chest, pouting as she glared at the tree the two were last seen behind. Thresh relaxed his stance, looking at the tree as if hoping it would explode in a rain of splinters and blood. If looks held power, these two could burn down forests.

Finally, after an agonizing five minutes, there were retreating footfalls. They did not last long.

Thresh released his right grip, letting his sickle fall to the ground, and then began twirling it around. When he threw it, the sickle and chain went past the tree. A resounding thud was heard; he'd caught someone. With two harsh tugs, he pulled Wukong out from behind his cover. A third, stronger, tug brought him in front of the specter.

He reached down and gripped the monkey by the throat, hauling him to his feet, and then let go. He brandished his sickle before the monkey's face as he spoke. "Are there any more people about?" He asked. Before he could answer, the warden moved the blade closer to his face. "On second thought, make sure no one else appears. You seem to be a quick footed lad, and you seem to know the area well. Keep others away and I may not rend the soul from your body." He said with his voice restrained by rage and a cold, merciless threat in it.

Master Yi came in running, but suddenly stopped when Ahri's orb appeared in front of his face. In a matter of seconds, he was on the ground, his sword out of reach, with the fox-girl over him.

He could feel her warm breath on the back of his neck. "If you see anyone else, tell them to just stop and turn around if they see me today. I'd very much appreciate it if no one else disturbed us." She warned.

When he nodded, she released his hands and got off him. The pleasure of her assets pressed against his back had been completely lost in her warning, threatening tone.

Thresh and Ahri watched as both champions, one the student and one the master, went to do as they were threatened. When they were out of sight, the two turned to one another again. Suddenly, the fight was gone in their eyes. "Is it always this difficult to capture a soul?" He asked.

She let a depressed sigh before putting words to her own thoughts. "Normally it isn't for me. I just pick someone, seduce them, get them in a bed and alone, and then they are mine." She said, moving toward a tree. She sat down, her legs in the bright sun light, and leaned her back against the bark with her orb in her lap. "How do you hunt?" She asked.

He moved toward her, placing his chained sickle and lantern down before sitting down as well, only sitting with his legs out of the sun. They sat with their backs to the same tree, but there was not a conflict nor angry between them. "I travel, single one out, bide my time as I make a few key detours for them, get them alone, and then snatch them up and take them to the Shadow Isles. From there, I torture, mock, break, and, finally, rip the soul from their screaming body and store it in my lantern." He answered.

She turned her head to him, her golden eyes full of emotions he could not read. "I use them to become human; it's how I keep this form." She began. She turned to her orb, peering into it as the colors changed, and brought her hands to it. Each finger that touched it drew in a small portion of the fog within to that digit. "Before I came here, all I did was kill them and take their life essence. I guess I am not really a soul stealer, but an essence thief. They died all the same, though." She said, whispering the last part with regret.

Thresh turned his eyes, not his head, to watch her. Subconsciously, his hand found his lantern. Instead of the light being drawn to his touch, it weakened slightly, the souls within fearing him. "I just like to torture. To hear their screams of pain is music to my ears. To taste their dread is the sweetest sensation to grace my senses." He said. There was no regret in his tone; only joy as if recalling a cheerful memory.

Ahri's hands paused over her orb. "You're a sadistic madman." She said plainly.

"And you are still a succubus, although I commend you on no longer killing your victims." He commented.

She smiled then, her hands moving back over her orb. "Maybe we are not so different." She said. He turned to her the same time she turned to him. She could see he wanted her to explain. "I thought we were as different as night and day, but now I believe it is closer to noon and evening." She said.

"Noon and evening?" He repeated, looking up at the noontime sun, a glimpse of it showing itself through the windblown leaves now and again. "I'll take evening, if it's alright with you. Best I represent the fading light than the high point of life." He chuckled.

She nodded as she turned back, closing her eyes as she placed her head on the bark of the tree. "I'm the high point of life." She agreed. Her smile slowly turned sly and playful as she looked back to him. "And that makes you the afterglow." She said. After a few moments of it sinking in, they both started laughing.

The both of them shared the humor for a time, and then she startled, bringing him to awareness as well. Her orb fell out of her lap as she rose, causing him to move away with a start. "Oh shoot! I'm being summoned!" She exclaimed.

Thresh felt an odd feeling overwhelming himself, like he was being pulled somewhere. "Summoned? To fight?" He asked. She nodded.

He reached for her orb, which had bounced and rolled away from her and closer to him. As he did, she reached to pick up his things. As they both stood straight, holding the other's weapons, their forms began to fade quickly until…

POP!

Ahri, dazed by the sudden summon into one of the Fields of Justice, was barely able to keep herself up. She felt strange, like there was something missing from her but could not place what. Around her, she recognized the members of her team. What caught her attention was that they were staring at her in a way she was unused to. "Is there something wrong?" She asked.

Ezreal, the attack damage carry as it was called, pointed to her hands. "Those." He said.

She looked down at her hands and realized what the problem was: She had Thresh's chained sickle and lantern instead of her orb. _"Hey, Summoner! You need to call off this match! I do not have my orb!_" She thought aloud, using the connection to the summoner to speak.

There was silence, and then she heard his voice in her head. _"Your abilities have changed too. Ahri, if I may ask and please forgive me if I am wrong, but why do you have Thresh's weapons? Is there some kind of problem with the two of you?"_ He asked through the mental link

_You don't know the half of it_, is what she wanted to say, but did not. "_I ran into him before you summoned me. As I was brought here, I must have grabbed his weapons by mistake._" She thought. Wait, he said her abilities had changed?

The summoner's voice came before she could ask. "_I cannot end the match; it is too late for that and too early to surrender. If the others allow it, the match will end in twenty minutes."_ He offered. By the way he sounded, he was also speaking to her and the other four summoners with him. "_Until then, you will have to bear with it. I can tell you your abilities, if you like."_ He offered.

The match was already starting. Urdy ran forward into the jungle, Nasus was already halfway to the top lane, and Ezreal and Sona were searching the bottom half of their team's jungle for the other team. Ahri was left alone in the base fountain. "_Alright, let's hear it. I will wait for the match to ead one way or another._" She thought to the summoner. She grabbed a crystal flask, a ward, and a potion with her starting gold as she spoke.

"_Your passive is Essence Capture; you gain ability power with each random essence that is left behind by defeated enemies. Lash is your first ability; a skill shot is fired that damages the first enemy hit a set amount plus a percent of your ability power, and targets around receive true damage and single targets take true damage with no splash. Your second ability is Essence Shield; your lantern is thrown out and allies around it are protected by a shield based on the number of essences you have captured. Next is Fox Flayer_." He said, informing her of the changes.

Ahri smiled. "_Great! At least that one is unchanged."_ She thought. There was silence as she waited by her turret. "_Summoner?_" She asked.

"_No, Fox Flayer, not Fox Fire. You appear behind your target and stun them for two seconds, dealing physical damage plus the number of essence you have captured. Finally, your ultimate ability is Whirling Flare; your sickle catches fire and your begin to swing it around it in circles, enemies hit by the blade are feared and run from you while enemies hit by the chain are charmed and walk toward you. That's all."_ He said.

Ahri was stunned. _"All of my abilities are different? That's crazy!"_ She screamed in her head. Suddenly, she regretted ever meeting that specter Thresh. But, if she had his weapons, then that had to mean he had… "Oh no." She said to herself, slapping her forehead. He must have her orb.

Skip Here

Thresh grumbled a string of curses as he realized the grass had turned to a rejuvenating, wet stone. He looked and, instead of Ahri, he was saw the ones called Kayle, Lee Sin, Kha'Zix, and Elise; all standing. He also saw that he was within the Field of Justice Summoner's Rift, a place he found far too green and lively to be anything but magical. Minus the jungle creatures within, he hated the place.

He rose then, having been on his knees before and after being summoned to fetch Ahri's orb, and realized his sickle, chains, and lantern were nowhere to be found. Instead, Ahri's orb, its color white, lay before him.

"Magical assistant!" He called out, indicating his summoner. "End this match immediately so that I may find my sickle and lantern from where you plucked me!" He demanded, paying no mind to the other champions as they bought their starting items.

The summoner's voice came to him in his head, another voice in his mind as it were. _"I can't. If I do, then you will just be sitting there and I could go to the tribunal for poor sportsmanship."_ It sounded like whining to the warden. _"Besides, I've never summoned you before. What's the problem?"_ The summoner asked.

Thresh raised the orb above his head, as though the summoner were watching from above him. "Does this look like a sickle, chain, green lantern, or any variation of the three?" He asked sarcastically. "Return me to whence I was, or, better, put me into the lane to… wait a minute. How am to collect the souls of those little blue and purple gnomes with this thing?" He asked, the last part more to himself as he looked at the glass-like ball. It produced a white fog, rather than the different colors he had seen Ahri bring out of it.

The summoner was silent for a time, as though checking something, so Thresh went ahead and heeded the mortal's commands of buying items before going to the bottom lane with the Void bug. Finally, the summoner's voice came. _"It looks like your abilities were changed since the PTB._" He said.

"The what!?" Thresh asked, confused.

"_The public testing battles for summoners. It was before your reflection and judgment."_ The summoner explained.

"You mean those weren't part of the whole 'become famous by all of Runeterra' battles?" He asked. "Is that why I am no longer gray?" He asked.

"_Yes and no. The first battles were to determine how best to limit your abilities to make them on par with the other champions. As to your color, didn't you change that yourself?"_ The summoner asked.

Thresh thought for a few moments, and then snapped his fingers. "Ah yes, I did do that part. Something about terrifying the children or some such nonsense, or are they called yordles?" He questioned. He shook his head. "Let's hear the abilities while I keep this insect from dying." Thresh said. Kha'Zix, either him or his summoner eager for blood, had made his way into the enemy jungle.

The summoner's voice was a long time in returning and only after the warden and bug had chased off the other two champions. _"Your passive is Soul Enforced; you are able to collect the souls of the dead and gain armor for each one. Your first ability is Love Tap; you throw out your orb and, after a few moments, you can switch places with it. Enemies are stunned if hit by the orb and drawn toward you for two seconds."_ The summoner said.

Thresh responded before he could continue. "Sounds like fun, get it!" He commanded. Apparently it had a second effect as the orb began to change colors. What started as white turned green, then yellow, then red, and finally a bright pink. A quick strike on a one of the enemy minions revealed his bonus damage, that and a short term charm effect. "Interesting…" He muttered, watching the effects.

The summoner continued his explanation of his chosen champion's new abilities. _"The second ability is Spirit Army, and that one appears to be flat damage based on level and the number of souls you have gained. Every fifteen creates an extra magic damaging flame that will strike the nearest enemy; prioritizing larger foes. The third is a charm; strike in a cone in front of you, based on your ability power, and enemies hit are charmed and walk toward you aimlessly. Finally, your ultimate is The Sphere."_ The summoner said.

Thresh obeyed his summoners commands as he fought and moved, eagerly watching his new abilities take effect and listening to the explanations. Finally, the summoner explained. _"The Sphere creates a circle around you, protecting you from enemy attacks, damaging enemies that go through it, and slowing them for two seconds. It seems to heal allies within it up to a maximum amount."_ He said, adding the healing bit.

The warden let out a hearty laugh. "So I am a support, healer, and tank, is that it? Haha! Oh I cannot WAIT until this match is over!" He said cheerfully. As much as he was unused to the orb as a weapon, he was able to bind it to his will thanks to his experience with his lantern. As it turned out, the two were not that different to him.

To himself, however, he wondered if Ahri had his weapons. Whatever the case, he hoped, oddly enough, that she would not be upset with his using her weapon.

After a rather enjoyable fifty minutes, the match was finally over.

Ahri strutted through the halls, swinging the lantern by its chain in her left hand as her right rested on the sickle's handle. She was looking for Thresh to return his weapons and get her orb back. As much as she missed it, however, she had managed to form a connection with the lantern. Where it once emitted an eerie green light, the light was now a bright, red light shown from it, changed by her handling of the new souls within it. If one could hear the souls within, they would find that the souls were screaming in bliss, not pain. She had enjoyed the change in pace from her basic fighting style, but she missed her orb.

Thresh, walking down the hall around the corner on his way to find her, causally tossed the orb back and forth from one hand to another, hummed to himself as he listened to the moans within the orb. It was a brilliant, glowing green color. The souls within were not in pain, not like he was use to inflicting onto souls, but were in more of an exhausted and weakened state. However, there were a few in there that moaned in bliss, pleased by the pain he had given. It was such an odd thing for him to hear, a soul to moan in bliss, whenever he tortured it, but he ignored it.

As they both arrived at the corner they would meet, both continued to walk until…

They collided with one another.

Ahri dropped the lantern and chain as she fell backwards, the otherworldly object hitting the floor but not shattering or breaking. Her landing was somewhat painful due to the chain under her, so she adjusted herself so it was not so painful.

Thresh's hands locked the orb in his grip, and kept it from falling to the floor as he landed on his rear. It was odd not hearing the rattling of his chains when he made a sudden movement, like there was something missing from him.

When their eyes came up, both stared into the other's eyes. After a time, Thresh looked down to his lantern. At the same time, Ahri looked down to her orb.

"They're moaning." She said.

"They're screaming." He said.

He handed the orb to her and she, in turn, handed the lantern and sickle to him. With their own weapons back, each peered into their own container for their past victims, putting their ears close so as to better understand the nature. Both appeared greatly confused by the reactions despite the sounds being so familiar.

Their glares returned as they turned to one other. The fight was back in their eyes.

"They're screaming in blissful pleasure, you bitch!" Thresh roared at the same time she spoke.

"They're moaning in painful anguish, you bastard!" Ahri hissed at the same time he spoke.

"Decades, some centuries, of careful practice to attain the desired states have now been ruined because you have made them think life enjoyable again! I can see hope in several of them!" He yelled as he rose. He could not even see the ones who still feared him for the torments he'd burned into their very souls through the ones she had brought to the front. Even they did not cower away from the casing of the lantern, but pushed against it as though accepting and expecting some joyous fate.

"I've spent decades collecting very specific emotions from essence, teasing out such emotions with very delicate measures! Many of these took months, some years, to get! How are they moaning in pleasure when they are in pain!?" She demanded. The art of seduction was not easy, each victim requiring its own specific, some very specific, touches. She had to learn, date, and support many before they finally trusted her to express longing, much less love. Now, some were in pain yet seemed happier.

Thresh held up his lantern for her, the light almost blinding to her. "You tell me! Some people actually enjoy pain! I've had to go through great lengths to make them suffer and scream and plead for death!" He said, his tone heated with anger. He brought the lantern back and tapped the glass with his sickle, indicating a small amount of souls near the corner. "And why are these cowering, trying to hide themselves? I've never seen them so frightened as they would hide in the corners, rather than seek the comfort of the group!" He questioned.

Ahri's tails stood straight like she was about the pounce as she growled in a low, warning before answering his question. "I don't know! You've twisted them so much they think pleasure is the worst kind of torture! They asked, pleaded with tears, that I claw, flay, and maul them until they were could no longer stay away!" She hissed with her tone laced with malice.

There was silence for several moments as they each glared at the other, comprehending what was said. The warden looked to his lantern, hearing the screams within it and the fright-filled wails of the damned souls, while the fox-girl looked at her orb, listening carefully to the moans laced with pain and joy. In a way, they were still the same, just the source of the sounds reversed. In a few ways, the emotions each had worked so hard to bring out were enhanced.

Their eyes turned back to each other.

They stared at one another for minutes; the only sounds were her breathing, the cries coming from the lantern and orb, and the slight rattle of chains.

Finally, after near to ten minutes, they leaned away from each other, straightened, and… Thresh began to chuckle as Ahri began to giggle. And then, they both laughed.

"I commend you! You've done what I've never thought of: You've added a new voice to my chorus of suffering. Bravo!" He said, hooking his sickle to his belt before reaching over and bringing her in for a one-arm hug.

Ahri brought her left arm around his waist. "And you've brought pleasure to the essences of people I've thought were crazy. Bravo!" She said in between fits of laughter. "Do you think you can show me how you did it? I may come across someone who enjoys pain, and I want to make sure I satisfy them to the fullest." She asked.

Thresh laughed at her words. "Of course, but only if you show me how to bring pain to those who wish to be hurt." He answered.

It was a… questionable truce.

Thresh and Ahri returned to the park, this time without an escort. There were new couples around the tables, many odd.

Diana and Zed, Syndra and Ryze, Galio and Poppy, Garen and Katarina, Lux and Skarner, Kalye and Lee Sin, Kennen and Zyra, LeBlance and Vladimir, and Leona and Nasus all sat at their own tables and talked, ate, and whatever else they did. While they were not all at the tables, some along the way to the park, Ahri had given a little of their details to Thresh. His dark smile and wicked thought-filled eyes seemed brighter to her now.

"It's kind of odd." She said, looking around.

"What is? The little girl with the crystal scorpion?" He asked.

She shook her head. "No… well, yes, but I had thought two others would be here. I heard from Trundle that Nidalee and Rengar were dating, but I've not seen them together to be sure." She explained.

Meanwhile, in the Kumungu Jungle, a large bush shook vigorously. Image the song, 'In the Jungle', playing as you contemplate this short cutout.

"The cougar girl and trophy hunter?" He asked. When she nodded her head, he went on. "I've heard about that, but not really seen them. The woman was having some trouble with spiders or something." He said, trying to recall the exact rumor.

Ahri nodded her head once more. "She and Elise were having a feud that eventually drew in the League, the Institution, several of the other champions, and even trade routes. Finally, the matter was settled, but I do not know the exact details. I few of the summoners I've slept with did know a little about it, and that's how I know of what I do." She explained. She left out that the relationship she had pieced together herself from her own experiences. Trundle had tried to hide it, but she had other months to talk in his place.

When they arrived at their table, number 14, the warden pulled out a chair for Ahri, who blushed slightly and smiled coyly at him before sitting down. He even pushed her up before sitting down himself. "A shame I did not show up sooner. I could have helped solve the problem and gotten three more souls out of it." He said, and then let out a dark laughter.

Ahri giggled a little bit at his humor, finding it more accepting now. It felt like it had been years since their fight the same morning. "Six, actually. Kha'Zix, Teemo, and Tristana were involved as well. I really wish I could find those two tonight. Maybe, with your help, I can get the full details." She said, showing off her own dark side.

"Why not Kha'Zix and Elise?" He offered.

"Too much trouble, and not enough details." She said. "Elise would poison me with venom and Kha'Zix would try to eat me." She added, answering his unspoken question.

Thresh put his hands behind his head and leaned his head back in a more comforting position, closing his eyes as he did. "I see. If they are dating, I am sure they are somewhere in the woods. Animals tend to hunt in packs, and, from what I've heard, they would enjoy each other's company." He said.

"Who would enjoy whose company?"

Thresh shrugged his shoulders, adjusting the chain around them. "That Nidalee and Rengar couple. I would love to meet them and personally introduce myself." He said.

"And who would you be, exactly?"

He opened his eyes and turned his head toward Ahri, thinking it was she who had been talking. Instead, he found her smiling and looking in a different direction. He turned his head and saw a beautiful woman in animal hide clothing around her chest, arms, and waist and wearing animal skin boots; she had a spear on her back, an emerald on her forehead, and a bone necklace and belt. Near her was a well-built beast man, about a head shorter than her but larger in muscle mass, wearing leather armor. At his hips were two, large hunting knives, on his left wrist was a claw-like weapon, and he had an eye patch over his left eye.

The woman smiled, her skin tone brown or tanned. "I am Nidalee, and this is Rengar. Who are you?" She asked.

"Thresh, the Chain Warden." He said.

The woman, Nidalee, leaned toward him, putting her face close to his. "It's nice to meet you, spirit snatcher." She said.

Out of the bush fell Twitch, panting and breathing heavily from the effort of his assigned job. "I'm not getting paid enough for this." He said. He looked over his shoulder. "Hey, Heimerdinger! You can turn that off now." He yelled.

The music stopped, and out came a large and yellow headed yordle with a stereo system. "Excellent! This means we are done with this silly comedy portion." He said.

Both then began walking toward the path and on their way out of the jungle. "Why did Nidalee ask us t-t-to do this again?" Twitch asked, stuttering slightly.

The professor shrugged his shoulder that was not carrying the light-weight metal box. "She said it would be funny."

"Funny for who?" Twitch asked.

With the feral couple sitting at their own table, Thresh and Ahri sat and talked. They had each ordered a light meal and were now discussing what to do about their own methods of capturing souls. To both, it was nice to have someone who shared the life-long passion, even if Ahri did not kill people any more.

To Ahri, she only wanted to keep absorbing the essences of others to achieve her goal of becoming human. The League had provided her with a strong and resilient supply of victims, some even immortal, which she could feed on. While she would not become human quickly, she would in time. While she did wait, she developed social skills, but retrained her desire to please people. Either she would be the best wife to some lucky guy, or she would be the most popular lady in any town or city she chose.

To Thresh, it was like learning his craft all over again. He had no intention to stop, but the ability to keep his victims alive and hopeful was an intriguing concept. Before, all he did was capture and torture his victims, and then ripped the souls from their bodies. Now, he was learning to keep them alive and on the line between sheer panic and questioning intent. He may even begin leaving the doors to cells unlocked and opened, even a boat at the ready, if he could master this. His victims would be conflicted between leaving hell and heaven to escape back into where they knew others assumed them to be dead.

What started as a fight for the right to the souls of the League Champions had quickly turned into an agreement between two businesses. Which one would thrive, however, was still in question.

Hours later, when night had finally arrived and the summoners were leaving or retiring for the night, Thresh followed Ahri to her room. She wanted to thank him for his advice, apologize for her actions, and show him some of what she had described. The warden had said he'd wanted to do as much as well.

Once inside her large, two room apartment within the Institution, she locked the door. "Now then, shaw we begin?" She asked, strutting toward him with a sly smile.

Thresh reached toward her with his hand, delicately running his fingers over her flawless face. He pushed some strands of stray hair out of the way of her face. "Indeed. Which of us will go first?" He asked.

With a slight chuckle, she pushed him back into the bedroom, and then followed him in. She closed the door. "I'll go first, since you seem so eager to learn." She said, and then turned off the light.

What was Valentine's Day without a little love?

The next day, Ahri woke up with a start. She was sweating, covered in a sheen of her own sweat. She tried to move, to fan herself with her hands, but found herself bound. She began to struggle, panic even, and then scream.

It came out muffled. She had a gag over her mouth!

As she struggled, she could not make heads or tails of what was happening. All she remembered was that last night she had been with the new champion of the League, Thresh.

Thresh!? That's it! She had invited him into her room and now…!

"I'll undo that when you stop squirming." Came a voice laced with humor and inhuman vocals.

She froze at the sound of that voice. It was him!

Slowly, she turned her fearful eyes to see him. He was standing over her, near the bed, and with a wicked smile on his face. She could see that he was laughing at her plight.

"Now hold still." He commanded, gripping her by the wrists. It was then that she saw a sickle, sharper than any sword she had ever seen, in his right hand.

As he raised it, she began to crying in fright, fearing this would be her end. Why? Why now? She had not even had the chance to know what it was to be human!

He then brought the weapon of death down.

She shut her eyes so tight it hurt. And then…

There was the sound of something ripping. "Just hold still." He said calmly.

She was breathing heavily, her mind racing as to what he was doing to her. Was he cutting her back open? Did he intend to disembowel her from behind? Why did she not feel any pain!?

And then, the sound stopped. His grip released. "You're going to pass out if you do not control your breathing." He stated, chuckling at her distress.

Ahri felt that she could move her arms again. She sat up and reached to clean her face, and then found that she was wearing a shirt with long, long sleeves on it. She looked down the length of the sleeve, and then to her back. It was the same color; a pale white.

"That Shaco fellow, the Demon Jester I believe, will be upset I cannot return this to him." He said.

Shaco? Return something to him? And then it clicked: She was wearing a strait jacket. Relief washed over her like a cool, refreshing waterfall on a hot summer day.

Still, she was confused, so she turned to the smiling Thresh, who was still watching her. At least he put his sickle away. "Why am I in a strait jacket? Last night's kinda… blurry to me." She said.

Thresh began to explain. After she had showed him a little bit of the art of seduction, he had offered to show her the art of torture. He had promised to not hurt her, a relief in and of itself, but she would likely feel panicked. The strait jacket was the best substitute for his chains, which were normally used to bind his victims and give them a sense of helplessness. She had panicked and lost consciousness during the demonstration, and he did not want to disturb her while she slept.

She had changed into a normal shirt and a short skirt at his recommendation so she would not ruin her favorite clothes if she began to scratch and claw them or set them on fire. The clothes were covered in sweat from her panic, fright, and the temperature of the new day. His flaming head, adding to the heat of the room, did not help.

"Will you open the window?" She asked, finally able to fan herself with her hands. "It's stuffy in here." She said.

He did as he was asked, opening the window, and then began to gather his chains and lantern. "I will be leaving now. Mordekaiser came by last night while I was getting the jacket and wanted to speak to me. I managed to 'convince' him to wait until the morning." He said, stressing the word 'convince'. The tone made her shutter. "I look forward to seeing you again… Ahri." He said.

She smiled, a blush coming to her features. She heard the door to the bedroom open, and then saw him walk out. Before he could make it to the room down to leave into the hallway, she called out. "Wait!" He paused with his hand on the doorknob. "Until next time, Thresh." She said; without hiding neither her smile nor her blush.

He turned to her and smiled. That look made her heart flutter. "If you are willing, I can show you more of my craft tonight." He said.

She took a deep breath, composing herself should her voice fail. "Only if I can show you more of mine." The seductive ring in her tone would only be missed by the deaf.

With that, he opened the door and, before closing it, their eyes locked in a silent 'good-by for now', and then he closed it.

Ahri let out the breath as she sagged backward, into the table. She found the chair and sat down, placed her hands over her heart, and began to calm her breathing. She still wore the strait jacket, and the smell was the last thing on her mind.

_And that was my Valentine's Day special fan fiction. A few things: 1.) I do not intend to do a lemon with the two because the undead and specters in the lore are unknown to me. 2.) There will not be a part two explaining what happened during the night when Thresh and Ahri were alone in her room. Seduction you can use your own imaginations for that, and the torture is a little out of my style. 3.) This was not intended to be released so soon as I had intended to wait a few more days, but I found out that there would be things outside of my control over the course of next week and I did not want to release this after Valentine's Day. 4.) Finally, please do not bash my fan fiction. Criticism is one thing, but I do not reviews absolutely hating on this like it is a plague upon the world._

_With all that said, I hope everyone who reads this has enjoyed it. And I wish you all a Happy Valentine's Day._


	2. Chapter 2: The Key to Life

_Author's Note_

_**I've been thinking and I've decided to make this a trilogy. This is the second part of three, and something I've wanted to write for a while now. Also, the use of 'god' is not toward any religion, but simply because I do not like to use words such as 'fuck', 'shit', and ect. And do not worry, I have no plans for using the many odd pairings I used previously. This time, it is all about the two soul takers.**_

_**Also, special thanks to HoneyBadgerDC for some of his help. I just wanted to be a jerk and wait for him to read it before I mentioned him. -Ain't I a stinker-**_

_Description:  
_

_Ahri accidentally kills someone during what was supposed to be a night of blissful pleasure, the person in question just so happens to be a Demacian diplomat of high standing. Now, with his life extinguished, she has captured his soul, not his essence, within her orb. She makes haste to find Thresh and request his help to restore the man's life before anyone becomes suspicious. Will the warden help his fellow soul stealer? Will Ahri be taken into custody for killing a diplomat? Or, will something else happen?_

* * *

"Normally, I do not take requests like these, but…" The temptress said before beginning to stroke the diplomat's erection with her right hand slowly and teasingly. She looked up and met the man's handsome brown eyes. "I can make an exception for someone as great as you." She finished, and then pressed both of her double D breasts against his penis, sandwiching it. She then began to move her breasts up and down his shaft, and then began to lick the tip with her tongue before engulfing the tip with her mouth.

Ahri, the Nine-Tailed Fox and champion of the League of Legends, lay on the queen sized bed leaning toward her current lover as she pleasured him. Her top was pushed down to her waist to expose her large breasts, her skirt was pulled up to her waist to reveal her flawless and perfect butt cheeks, her hair swept back over her shoulders, and her shoes were unlaced on the floor of the bed. Her assets, namely her legs, breasts, and rear cheeks, were fully exposed to the man before her. And she could tell that he was eyeing her body with hungry, lustful eyes.

The diplomat, a man in his early forties by the name of Jonathan Ronaldo, was a muscular man of 6 foot 3 inches tall with brown eyes and a head of short, cropped, red hair. He was not as muscular as someone like Garen, but he was still much more physically fit than most of diplomats she had met. His suit, a blue tuxedo with a black tie and golden cufflinks, lay across the back of the chair in the room and his boxers on the floor. He was completely naked as he lay on the bed with her on top of his legs.

The room was a large, penthouse-sized room. The two of them were currently within the Demacian hotel _The Golden Crown_. It was one of the most expensive hotels in the entire city-state, even the members of the noble houses often stayed when they tired of their own luxuries. To Ahri, it was a nice place with nothing to complain about and everything to compliment. It even had a small garden and a hot tub of pure white marble with a slip-proof floor.

The room they were in now, the bedroom, was richly decorated in crimson, velvet colors. The carpet was a soft red, the two large chairs were comfortably soft and almost as soft as the bed, the windows were closed by vibrantly colored curtains of thick sheets, and the bed was one of the newer models. It had a form-like mattress that compressed itself to the shape of whoever lay on it.

From her perspective, Ahri was as comfortable as if she were floating.

As to what the special request for this diplomat was…

Jonathon sat himself up straighter, pushing himself up with his left are as his right hand moved to the left side of her head. He moved the fingers of his hand through her hair, massaging her scalp as she pleasured his manhood. He then moved his hand down to her head, neck, shoulder, and toward her perfect ass.

Delicately, he ran his index and middle fingers over the middle of her cheeks, teasing the valley between the soft, flawless mounds, and gently pressed his fingers into her womanhood, producing a moan from her. She looked up and smiled seductively at him before leaning forward, moving her breast out of the way, and taking the entire length of his manhood into her mouth.

The special request was that Ahri had changed her body to remove her tails. It was a temporary change, but she had kept her fox ears. The man had asked if she could remove them for the night, and she agreed to his wishes, at least for tonight. She had to admit that the rare weight loss did give her more agility, but she could not use her tails to aid in the night's activities.

She wrapped her tongue around his manhood as she tilted her head to the right, allowing him more vision of her backside and his hand while he continued to tease her dripping and warming womanhood. She focused on her technique, closing her eyes to ensure every one of his eight inch erection was stimulated by her oral cavern. To her delight, the carpet matched the drapes, making it much easier for her to pleasure him without any hairs tickling her.

After a few seconds of sliding her mouth up and down his shaft, she began to taste the beginnings of his climax.

With a wet plop, she rose and met his eyes once more. Smiling seductively, she playfully pushed him backwards with her right hand, and then maneuvered herself so that her nether reigns were over his face. "Why don't we both enjoy this? Hmm?" She asked, and then leaned forward to once again engulf his manhood into her mouth.

She felt his strong grip her butt cheeks, his fingers squeezing into her posterior, and then felt his warm, wet tongue working over her already wet womanhood.

She paused for a moment to look up at her orb floating just a few feet over head, and then resumed her work. Even if she would not steal this man's life, she wanted to make sure she received at least a little bit of energy from him. After all, this was her payment.

* * *

Hours later, Ahri and her partner had changed their position for the finale. Her back was pressed against his muscular chest, his hands firmly grasping her D-cupped breasts, her thighs resting on his, and her legs bent alongside his. She panted as he rocked her as she felt herself squeeze every inch of his manhood inside.

She smiled and moaned blissfully, loving every second of the engagement. She was surprised by his stamina and fortitude, as well as his technique. She was also finding that, without her tails, there were more positions available to her for these engagements.

Finally, she felt him remove his hand from her left breast and move it down to her love button. She gasped breathlessly as she felt him press down onto the sensitive nub, and then moaned as he raised her up along his chest.

"I'm coming! I'm coming!" She moaned loudly. She heard him grumble his response, unable to make out the words he spoke.

After a short time, Ahri and Jonathon both let out a scream as an orgasmic climax rocked both their bodies. She felt his right hand tighten on her right breast and his left hand squeeze her left thigh, and she tightly gripped the sheets of the bed. She felt several rushes hot cum pour into her womb, leaving her breathless.

Finally, after nearly a minute of blissful aftermath, Ahri and her partner fell on their sides.

Panting heavily, she turned herself around, sliding his softening manhood from between her legs as she did, and closed her eyes as she turned her face to his. "That was wonderful." She said, and then leaned toward him. She kissed him deeply, exploring his mouth for several seconds, and then pulled her face an inch from his. "After your meeting, we should meet again." She whispered seductively.

After a short time of not hearing him reply, she opened her eyes, and then widened them.

His face was twisted in pain, his eyes shut tight.

She rolled him onto his back and sat up on his stomach. Carefully, she leaned forward and placed the side of her head to his chest, listening quietly. After nearly a minute, she rose; panic now ensuring as she worried of what might have happened.

She turned to her orb and saw that it was a deep green-blue color with a swirl of white in it. "Oh no." She whispered, and then stood. She grasped the orb in her hands and looked at it. "Oh no. No. No! No! Oh my god what have I done!?" She exclaimed, panicking as she held the orb.

She turned to the man lying on the bed. She pressed her orb to his chest and moved to the side of him. She took a deep breath, tilted his head back from his forehead and chin, and breathed into him, causing his chest to rise. She did this several times, and then pressed her hands to his chest. "Come on! Come on! Don't die! Please do not die! Not on me at least!" She said, tears streaming down her face.

She was not really concerned for his safety, but for her own. As far as others would look at it, she would have killed him and taken his essence. If the Institution did not punish her, she knew Demacia would. This man was the head of one of the noble houses and a war hero to his fellow people, and he had just died in bed with her. Hell, she even had his soul in her orb.

For half an hour, she performed CPR, trying to revive him but to no avail. "Oh my god! What am I going to do?" She exclaimed, panicked and frantic as he mind tried to work out a solution, an excuse, a way to fix this, or someone to talk to for help.

Wait!

She paused.

Someone to talk to…

He eyes widened. "Thresh." She whispered, and then quickly began to clean herself up and dress before doing the same with the body.

* * *

**_Shadow__ Isles_**

Thresh let out a yawn as he looked back to his fellow members of the Shadow Isles, but there were two guests among them. Sona, the silent Maven of Strings, and Olaf, the Berserker, were also among them. The group consisted of Mordekaiser, Karthus, Yorick, Sona, Olaf, and himself. Needless to say, it was mostly a meeting for the members of the rock band Pentakill.

They were all seated at the same simple wooden table. Thresh sat at one end and Mordekaiser at the other, leaving the order from his view as such: Yorick and then Sona to his right, Olaf and then Karthus to his left, and Mordekaiser directing in front of him.

For Thresh, it was a boring meeting he really did not have to be in. His only task and involvement in the band was providing souls for the undead stagehands. It was a waist of his abilities and his hard-earned charges, but everyone who died during one of the concerts, which happened more often than one would thing, were changed from fans to charges. Fresh blood in exchange for old, as Mordekaiser had put it, but it was still annoying to be in one of these meetings.

The room they were in was part of his prison; in fact it was his old quarters. Since the breakout centuries ago, when the inmates had broken out and sought revenge against him before fleeing for their lives, the entire building had come to near ruin. Thankfully, he had managed to recover from his own death sentence and acquire the aid of the populace of the Shadow Isles to get the place back into shape.

Personally, he liked the opened ceilings that allowed prisoners to see the world outside, the moss growing on the walls that hid the rats, the old stones that were still stained with blood, and the ominous echoes that could heard but not seen down the halls. He closed his eyes as he remembered all the good times, and began to think of all the better times to come.

When he opened his eyes again, Thresh noticed that Mordekaiser was glaring at him. He smiled and waved his hand toward the Master of Metal. "Chain Warden… Have you been paying attention?" Mordekaiser asked.

Thresh looked toward the ceiling for a moment, and then met his superior's once more. "You lost me after 'merchandise'. Speaking of which, why are tiny replicas of you being sold anyway?" He asked.

Mordekaiser took a deep breath as he continued to glare at the warden, and then let it out slowly before turning to Yorick. "We will need three new stagehands for our next tour. How long will it take before you can dig them up?" He asked.

The gravedigger looked over a small notepad for a moment before speaking. "If you need ones like the usual, I can have them ready by tomorrow morning." He replied.

Mordekaiser nodded his head. "Good." He then turned to Thresh. "Pick three souls and implant into the corpses. And make sure they are not the weak-will, sniveling co-"

A crash interrupted him as the door to their meeting room within Thresh's prison was broken down.

The whole room looked toward the figure that had emerged with both shock and curiosity, especially when they saw who the figure was carrying a body over its shoulders.

"THRESH!" A familiar female voice called from the dimly lit room. "Oh thank god you're here!" She said, and then ran toward him. The group then noticed that there was a bright orb following behind the woman.

Just when they saw it was, she placed the body down on the table in front of Thresh and brought her orb between them. "Please tell me you can bring this man back to life! Please!" She pleaded with tearful eyes.

Thresh looked at the body, and then to Ahri. He smiled, placed his hands together, and looked up at her in a surprisingly business-like manner. "That was a 300 year old, mahogany wood door crafted by the king's royal craftsman…" He said calmly, and then took a breath before meeting Ahri eye-to-eye. "What can I do for you?" He asked pleasantly.

"I need you to bring this man back to life or I could be in major, huge trouble!" She said hurriedly. By this point, she had begun to hyperventilate, breathing quickly and feeling dizzy, adrenaline being the only thing keeping her going at this point.

Calmly, Thresh spoke his response. "You realize you are asking a murderer, who kills for fun I might add, to bring back the dead?" He asked, raising the top of his left eye socket (raising an eyebrow) toward her.

Ahri nodded her head. "Yes! Can you do it? I killed him by mistake, and now I need your help to revive him!" She pleaded with tears in her eyes.

There was a moment of silence, and then Thresh spoke. "I am sorry, but I am just a tab bit annoyed because some black haired vixen has just barraged into my home, destroyed my 300 hundred-year-old mahogany wood door designed by an royal craftsman who is now dead, and is demanding that I, the Chain Warden and known kidnapper, murderer, and torturer of random people, who stalks the nights and days, who haunts the dreams of men, women, children, and even god-like beings, who kills just for the fun of it and reapers the souls of his victims to toy with them even in death, and is now crying to me like I am her mother and pleading that I clean up her mess." He said.

Everyone went silent; the only sounds were that of Ahri's orb and Thresh's lantern.

After several seconds of the uncomfortable silence, Ahri spoke, much calmer than before. "I… I thought…" She began.

Thresh held up his right hand to silence her. "And that is where your trouble begins: '_You thought_'. _You thought_ I would help you because you asked. _You thought_ I have nothing better to do than simply wait around at your beck and call. _You thought_ I would just jump right up and help you. Am I wrong?" He asked mischievously.

Nervously, Ahri nodded, unable to meet his eyes now as she turned her head to the side. "But I need your help. My life could be in danger." She said tearfully, her voice only a whisper.

He raised his eye socket (eyebrow) once more. "I did not say I would not help you, but that I will expect something in return." He said.

She looked back to him, a smile slowly forming on her lips. She then lunged for him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, careful to avoid his flaming head when she felt the heat. "Oh thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" She exclaimed happily.

Thresh turned his head to the others, the expression on his face saying "Any of you want to add something?"

Mordekaiser cleared his throat, drawing the Nine-Tailed Fox's attention. "Ahri, if I may, what happened to your tails? And why are you practically naked?" He asked.

Ahri looked behind herself, toward her rump, and then pushed herself away from Thresh to look down her front. Although she was wearing her usual attire, it was put on in haste. Her top was loose, revealing much more of her cleavage than usual; her skirt lacked the belt and bells that normally hung around her waist; her sleeves were also missing, leaving several leaves and scratches visible on her arms; and nearly all of the straps of her shoes were undo. It was clear that she had run through the Shadow Isles straight to his prison, and it was a wonder she hadn't tripped and broken something.

She shrugged her shoulders before speaking. "Well, Jonathon here had requested that I alter my body and temporarily remove my tails while we were together, so I did, and I was in a huge hurry to get here." She answered. She then vigorously shook her head. "That's not the point though! I need him to be brought back to life!" She repeated.

Mordekaiser leaned toward Sona to whisper quietly to her. "Did you know she could do that?" He asked.

Ahri glared at him. "Of course I can do that! I'm a shapeshifter!" She exclaimed.

The Master of Metal did not appear intimidated as he turned back to her. "The act of bringing someone back to life is a… complicated matter. Have you considered speaking with one of the Noxian necromancers?" He asked.

She shook her head. "This man is a Demacian. They would never bring him back to life unless it was to learn the secrets he kept, and then they'd either kill him again or make him an undead soldier." She answered.

Mordekaiser leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms, clearly uninterested any further.

Sona gave the fox-girl a look that said she did not know how she could help.

Olaf merely drank from a mug of what had to be Graggy Ice. Ahri looked past him to see three kegs, two of them empty and broken open.

Karthus was busy writing in a little book, most likely a collection of new songs. He never even looked her way since after she crashed into their meeting.

Finally Yorick turned to her and spoke. "How long has this man been deceased? It is possible for him to be revive, assuming his soul is still within the body, and I will need to know what happened to him." He said.

Ahri swallowed. "Everything that happened?" She asked. The gravedigger nodded. She took a deep breath before beginning. "He is a Demacian diplomat working with Ionia and the alliance between Demacia and Ionia. The two of us were staying at the _Golden Crown_. He offered me a drink, we began talking, I told him I was a champion of the League of Legends and he told me he was a powerful diplomat, we started talking about our two homes as we drank, and he asked for a room for himself and me. Along the way, we began to flirt, kiss, touch each other through our clothes-"

"Ahri!" Yorick said, causing her to stop.

"Yes?" She asked.

"What happened to him that killed him?" Yorick asked. "We do not need to know every little detail." He said.

Ahri looked around and noticed that Olaf was now watching and listening to her intently, Mordekaiser held his head in his armored hand, Sona was looking away and blushing deeply, and Karthus had gone to the corner of the room.

She then looked to her right and she saw Thresh tilting his head toward her. "Let me guess: You killed him with sex?" He asked with a smile.

Ahri glared at him. "NO! Well… yes, but it was a heart attack! I did not steal his soul until after he was dead!" She said in defense.

He nodded toward her. "Does this happen often?" He asked.

She shook her head, still angry at him. "Of course not! I've had sex with Garen and Jarvan both, and the worse they've had have been headaches! Hell, I made Garen climax six times in ten minutes, and all he did was sleep for an hour and then woke up complaining about a headache!" She exclaimed.

"And Jarvan?" Thresh asked.

"Thirty minutes, and then two times after before we finished." She answered.

The warden nodded his head, the smile remaining on his skull-face. "Very interesting. I never imaged those two had such stamina. I'll need to rethink my tortures for them if that is the case." He said as he nodded. He then looked up at her from his chair. "Any engagements with the other Demacian champions? Perhaps Quinn? Maybe Xin Xao? Oh, what about that Night Hunter, Vayne?" He asked.

Ahri stomped her feet, fisted her hands in front of herself, and puffed out her cheeks. She looked much like an angry child about to explode with a tantrum.

Thresh began to laugh at the expression on her face. "_Hahahahahaha!_ Still the same essence thief." He said in between laughs.

"THIS IS SERIOUS! I COULD BE KILLED BY THE DEMACIAN GUARDS!" She exclaimed angrily.

Yorick slapped the warden's shoulder, causing his laughter to die out. The specter raised a hand to his eye sockets the way someone would wipe away tears, and then rested both his hands on the table before addressing the Nine-Tailed Fox. "Alright, alright. I am sorry Ahri, but yes, I will help you." He said.

She let out a relieved sigh and smiled at him. "Thank you Thresh." She said.

The specter warden then turned to his fellow Shadow Isles champions and two mortals. "I'll be off then. Good luck with the reanimation of the undead while I help this temptress." He said.

Mordekaiser rose from his seat and slammed his hands down on the table, causing it to crack but remarkably not break. "WHAT!?" He yelled.

Thresh smiled at his superior before gesturing toward Ahri, the body, and then her orb. "I mean look at her situation. You're always telling me to do something good or at least neutral rather than kill, torture, rape, main, shiv, stab, strangle, choke, flay, rend, cut, bleed, mock, toy-"

"Alright Thresh, I get it." Mordekaiser said as he sat back down. He did often try to get the warden to try new things, ones that did not involve killing people for fun. It made things difficult when people saw the inhabitants of the Shadow Isles as nothing more than murderers.

"Skin-alive, impale, de-nail, dissect…" Thresh continued to ramble on.

Mordekaiser let out a heavy breath. Perhaps he was not making progress with the chain warden. "Sona, Olaf." He said, calling their attention away from the specter. "I will show the two of you to the portal. Meeting adjourned." He said.

Finally, Thresh stopped talking and turned to the Master of Metal. "Bye-bye, and I will see to Ahri here. Don't worry, I won't kill her, torture her, or any of the previous listed things." He said with a smile.

As the band members left, Yorick stopped at the door. He turned to Thresh and, with an emotionless face, spoke. "I'll have the bodies in the usual place whenever you get the time." He said.

Thresh nodded his flaming skull head. "Delightful." He answered.

"And Ahri." He said, turning his attention to the girl. "Behavior yourself." He said, and then left the room.

When everyone was gone, save for Thresh and Ahri, the Chain Warden leaned toward the body and began examining it. "A heart attack from sex, you said?" He asked.

Ahri looked at him and nodded her head. "Yes. We were making love, I was using my orb to absorb a little bit of his life essence-"

"And you did not think that would contribute to this man's death?" Thresh interrupted.

She shot him a glare. "I've done this many times before, and the worse that has happened was a coma for a few days, two weeks max." She said, defensively and agitated. She crossed her arms over her chest, hiding a larger portion of her cleavage than her clothing did, as she glared at him. "Speaking of which, I did it that one night with you, remember?" She asked.

Thresh paused as he turned the head to examine it more carefully, and then he turned his head to her. "You drained my life essence that one time?" He asked. His tone was eerie and of concern rather than manically sarcasm.

Ahri's glare faltered as she noticed his expression change, at least what little change it could be as his head was a skull. "Why? Did that do something to my orb?" She asked.

Thresh only stared for a few more seconds, and then returned to looking over the body. He was silent as he did so, and then stood, looking toward her orb. "Let me see that." He requested.

She waved her hand and the orb floated closer to the warden. Thresh took the item in his hands and began to look it over. As he turned it in his hands, she spoke. "If I absorbed some of your essence, what does that mean?" She asked.

He ignored her question as he examined her orb. After a time, he tossed it to her and willed his lantern to rise, along with the chain that it was attached to, and drift into his outstretched right hand. The lantern began to glow an eerie green.

Ahri was tired of waiting by this point. "Should I go ahead and turn myself in to the Demacian guards?" She finally asked, highly annoyed.

Finally, he did respond. "The problem is not that you've killed this man, he's actually in a coma right now, but that you've taken his soul and stored it in your orb." He said, and then looked at her with a smile. "Congratulations for your first successful soul thievery! I now have a hint of regret for letting you go that night." He said, thinking the last part aloud.

She blushed a little and turned her head away. "Thank you." She said softly. And then turned her head to him, now angry. "Wait! I didn't want to steal his soul, just have sex with him! How do I put his soul back into his body? And what do you mean you hold a hint of regret!?" She demanded.

Thresh shrugged his shoulders. "I have no idea. I normally rip them out, but sometimes I find wandering souls that I capture. I've no idea who they were, but they scream all the same." He said with a maniacally cackle. "Also, this means I now have competition for the souls of the other champions." He added.

"Are you reason?" She asked.

"I am, yes. Mordekaiser asks me to place the souls of others into corpses Yorick digs up, but that is not reviving. It's more like moving from one container to another, like beer from a keg into a mug." He explained.

"Then why can't his soul be put back into his body?" She asked, now very annoyed and angry.

"Ah, that is a very good question. The answer is because you are an essence thief, who once killed for herself, and now only take little bits of your victims lives. The fact that you've managed to remove the soul is quite astonishing, but raises the problems that come with you being new to this." He said, and then held up his lantern to her. "I've been doing this for years, and so I could do it for you." He said.

Ahri let out a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness." She said, placing her hands on her chest. When she looked back to Thresh, she gestured to her orb. "Can you do that now? The sooner this man is out of his coma, the better." She said.

Thresh looked from her to the body to her orb and finally to her again. "I could it do it now, but…" He began, raising his eye socket (eyebrow).

"But what?" She asked.

He then turned his back to her and started away. "It's no fun to put the souls back." He answered.

And then she felt her hopes drop. "Wh- what?" She asked, taking a step forward. He continued walking, so she followed him as he left the room and began walking down a hall, her orb following her and leaving the body on the table. "Why!? I could be put to death for this!" She said.

"Oh, I doubt that. Demacian peace officers do not last very long. In fact, I've had a few run-ins with Katarina and Talon as I was tracking some of these officials. It makes for some pretty strange evenings." He said. Sometimes he'd have to talk one of the assassins out of trying to kill the one under his custody, and sometimes he'd yell at them for killing the one he was trying to capture. At least the victim in question never escaped alive. He never had this problem with any of the other city-states, but only Demacia and Noxus.

Ahri continued to follow after him, this time noticing that her hastily dressing was causing her problems. She adjusted her clothing as she continued to follow him. "Well, can you teach me to do that? Put souls back into bodies?" She asked pleadingly.

Thresh suddenly stopped, nearly causing her to bump into him. He turned to an old, weather-worn door with numerous cracks in it and one large splinter missing from it. He pushed the door opened with his left hand as he drew the sickle end of his chain into his right. "Now then, where were we?" He asked happily, stepping into the room.

Tied to a stretching rack by the wrists and ankles with chains was a brutally mutilated body. It was mostly naked with only a ragged, torn cloth covering the nether reigns. It was difficult to tell if the body belonged to a man or woman, with the numerous flayed skin, bruised marks, blood running down it, and scars. The face, scarred, cut, bleeding, and covered by blood and dust, showed only the pain the individual was in.

The sight made Ahri gasp and step back. This… this was one of Thresh's charges.

The Chain Warden turned his head when he heard her gasp. "Oh. I thought you were already gone." He said, and then turned back to the body. He walked toward it and used the back of his sickle to raise the head, meeting the individual eye to eye. He then let the head drop and moved toward one of the three empty stools before taking a seat. He looked back toward Ahri and gestured for her to have a seat as well, only hers was closer to the body. "I have some time to kill, -_haha-_, before this one wakes up." He said, laughing at his own joke.

Nervously, Ahri turned her head to the body as she slowly made her way to the chair and sat down. Only when she was seated did she turn her eyes away from it and toward Thresh. With a shaking hand, she pointed toward the fowl smelling and bleeding figure. "Who…. Who is this?" She asked nervously.

Thresh shrugged his shoulders causally. "I have no idea. He's one of Elise's cultists that much I know." He replied. Well, one of them that had decided to flee to the wilderness upon arriving at the Shadow Isles. The Spider Queen was very good at keeping her cultists under watch, but some did manage to sneak past her… and right into the hands of others.

Ahri nodded her head slowly. "Will you teach me to put souls back into bodies?" She asked timidly, clearly uncomfortable around the dying, suffering man. She was used to be being around people in pleasure or exhaustion, but to be around someone in pain was quite another matter. Were her life not in danger, she would have left the islands as quickly as she could.

The specter only sat back in his chair. He hooked his sickle to a holster on his belt and allowed his lantern to float a few feet off the ground. Finally, he spoke. "Will I get something in return for this most morbid of lessons?" He asked with a tone of both slyness and mischievous intent.

Ahri took a deep breath, fisted his hands to his sides, and puffed out her cheeks as she leaned forward and glared at him.

Thresh merely waved his left hand at her. "No, no. I mean something real this time." He said, not even smiling.

This surprised her. He was surprisingly business-like, completely different from how he was before. It was creepy being around him now. He was not smiling, his tone was bored, he looked bored, and he kept tapping the fingers of his right hand on the side of his sickle's blade. "You want me to bargain with you?" She finally asked.

He nodded. "I like you, so I will not ask for your soul or anything of such, but you'll still have to make it worth my while." He said, still sounding bored and uninterested.

Ahri thought about what she could offer him. "I have some gold." She said, glancing nervously to the body now and again.

"I have a ghoul for that. He searches the pockets of the ones I bring here, usually after they are dead and I have their souls." He said, continuing to tap his fingers against his sickle. He did not take his eyes off the body as its chest slowly rose and fell with each shallow breath.

She glanced at the body again, and then noticed a discarded pile of torn clothing. She looked back to him, pushing the disturbing thoughts from her mind, and thought of something else to bribe him with. "I could help you out with your… hobby. I am good at tracking, luring, and keeping people in one place." She offered, sounding very confident in this one.

Thresh did not so much as look her way as he spoke. "Part of the fun is in the hunt. If I just picked up anyone, there would be no fun. I would rather stalk, hunt, wait, and then pounce when the time was right on specific targets." He informed her.

Ahri looked away, a frown forming on her face, and then noticed her orb floating near her. A thought came to her and she looked back to Thresh. "What if I give you some of the essences in my orb?" She asked hopeful.

The Warden shrugged. "What will I do with those? And what are essences anyway?" He asked.

"They are the source of one's life." She answered.

"Really? I thought the soul was the only thing like that, but I suppose the soul would be a combination of one's essence and personality." He thought aloud.

Ahri leaned toward him. "Do you really think that?" She asked.

Rather than answer, Thresh stood and lifted his finger, commanding his lantern to rise. He then positioned it over his victim's chest. "Honestly, I do not think that is of much concern." He said, and then turned his head to her. "I am about to rip the soul from this man's body. If you wish to watch, be aware that there will be screaming and sights that may make you regret knowing me, but this could very well help you. Or you can leave this room and wait for me to finish." He warned her.

Ahri stared at him in a mix of confusion and curiosity. She was curious as to how he did his art, if there was a way she could learn from this to help her with her own problem, and she had always wondered how he separated the souls of his victims from their bodies. Reluctantly, she shook her head before speaking. "I will stay." She said.

Thresh nodded his floating, flaming head. "Very well. Also, do not interfere with this. If you do, there is a chance I will capture your soul as well, and I do not return that which I have taken." He warned.

Slowly, she nodded her head in understanding.

* * *

An hour past and he was finally finished. Ahri rushed out of the room and toward the outside before leaning forward against a piece of ruined wall, her hands holding her up, and then she threw up the contents of her stomach over the other side of the wall.

When she finished, she wiped her mouth clean with the back of her hand and then wrapped her arms around herself. Despite the warm, humid atmosphere of the Shadow Isles she was shivering. It was not from the air however, but from fear.

Before, she had thought that she was beginning to feel like the Shadow Isles were a second home to her; an opposite, parallel home but a second home nonetheless. Now, having witnessed the favored hobby of the only per... being she held something second-natured in common with in person, she did not know what to think.

The screaming still echoed in her ears. The look of horror plastered on the man's face was still in her vision. The eerie green light that had been given off by the sight of the soul as it was torn from its mortal coil. Finally, there was the feeling… the feeling of dread, of terror, that had found its way into her mind as she had watched with wide eyes… and, with it, guilt.

Though she had taken the essence from people in the past, had she been any different? They had been happy, smiling, as their lives faded. Yet… had she been any different?

In the end, she had not tortured them, but she still used them and threw them to the side when she finished with them. Those essences, those forces of life that once lived, were now hers… and she drew power from them. She still drew power from other, new essences whenever she engaged in carnal activity with others, but still…

"Am… am I a monster?" She whispered in horror.

"In a way, yes." Came the response from behind her.

Ahri's eyes narrowed and she turned around. Without warning, she slapped the speaker, hard.

Thresh remained still, his head turned to the right from her slap.

Tears streamed down her cheeks from her angry eyes. Her right hand, that she had used to slap him, burned from the flames of his skull, but she ignored them. Instead, she slapped him again with the back of her hand, causing him to turn his head to the left. "I am not a monster! I've never killed anyone for the joy of it! I've never hurt anyone for my own gain or amusement! What makes you think I am a monster!?" She screamed in demand.

Slowly, Thresh turned his head to her. The sides of his skull were cracked slightly, visible evidence of how hard she had hit him. He reached toward his head with both of her hands and plucked his skull from where it floated. The flames where it once sat remained. He then began to trace his fingers over the boney head, mending the cracks.

He spoke from where his head once was, his skull's mandibles not moving as he spoke. "You've killed people in your quest to become a human, to change the very nature of what you were born to be. Those you've killed most likely had family and friends, and no doubt those are the ones you've hurt." He said, his voice as clear as before, but with the sound of fire crackling in the background.

He then placed his skull back in its place, the bone attaching to some invisible joints with a series of popping sounds. When the skull was back in place, he looked at her eye-to-eye, or at least eye-to-eye socket. "By normal standards, you were a monster. My question is this," He said, and then leaned toward her, his head an inch from hers, allowing her to feel the heat from his spectral flames. "Do you see yourself as a monster?" He asked seriously.

Ahri, still glaring, opened her mouth to yell her answer, but not words came out. Her eyes widened for a moment, and then she looked away before taking a step back turning her head away from his, unable to look at him anymore.

"Regret and guilt are mortal feelings, and two reasons the living are rarely welcomed here." Thresh said, and then began to pull his chains toward himself. He took up his scythe in his right hand and his lantern into his left. "Come on. I said I'd help you restore that man's soul to his body, but first I want you to do something for me." He said.

Ahri did not look up. "What would that be?" She asked blankly.

There was the rattling of chains as he moved, and then it went silent as he turned to her. "Follow me and I will show you." He said.

Numbly, she nodded and began to walk. She did not look up as she thought about his words and his recent actions, as well as her own past. As she walked, she let her human guise falter, returning her to her usual form with her ears, nine-tails, and whiskers. Her orb followed behind her, resting itself amongst her tails.

* * *

As the two of them walked, Ahri had begun to look around at her surroundings. Her troubled thoughts were pushed aside by the wonders of the Shadow Isles. This was, in actuality, her first time traversing the land, rather than fighting in the Twisted Treeline. There were specters all around, but not the ones like Thresh and Karthus.

Instead, these were ghostly plants. The dead, wilted trees held another, ghostly form; in this form, they were in full bloom, alive and full of leaves that waved in the breeze. Around her feet, she saw the remains of flowers that had long ago died, but she also saw what they once were; full of different shades of green, gray, and white. Now and again, she would see an insect or bird, both in living and specter forms.

She paused and watched with amazement as a living crow swooped over a branch to pluck a mantis from a branch, and then stared in wide-eyed awe as the specter of that same mantis fled into the cover of the leaves, out of sight of her and predators.

The sounds also captivated her. They were nothing like what she had imaged, but neither were they the same as her home of Ionia. The calls of animals, at times, seemed distant, and at other times they sounded like echoes from the inside of a cave.

She realized then that, even though death was the end of life, it was also the beginning of a new one. Here, life and death met in harmony, yet one force overshadowed the other in harmless, if not creepy, dominance.

Ahri jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder, and then turned to see Thresh's fiery face. Slowly, she looked around at the secretory before her. "Is this truly the Shadow Isles?" She asked in a low whisper.

The Chain Warden nodded his head. "Some people call it Hell, but I call it the Shadow Isles." He confirmed.

She finally turned back to him. "It's beautiful here." She stated. "Why does everyone say this is a place of evil?" She asked, truly curious.

The specter shook his head. "That would be because the most powerful among us draw power from dark sources." He said, and then smiled as he thought.

Ahri tilted her head in question, surprised that he would say such a thing after she had just said how beautiful this place was. "What do you mean?" She asked.

Thresh pointed with his scythe toward where they had come from. "I become stronger with the souls I capture. Torturing them is just a hobby of mine." He said, and then shifted his weapon to the side to indicate an unseen area. "Mordekaiser is a knight of disease, sickness, and pestilence, and becomes stronger as people and things suffer around him or that he has caused. Those specters he receives in the League matches are proof of that." He said, and then continued to move his weapon as he spoke. "Karthus becomes empowered by the wails and voices of those he has slain. Hecarim is a general who takes pride in his army, constantly adding new recruits and strengthening them and himself. Evelynn loves to inflict pain on others, and takes pride in making them last as long as their mortal bodies will allow them. Yorick just loves it when we have a new resident, something about making a productive community or something." He said as he named off his comrades.

"What about Elise?" Ahri questioned.

Thresh thought about her question, and then pointed with his scythe toward a mountain top just visible. "She is here for the living faction of the Shadow Isles, which I know little about. She has entered into a pact or sorts with that overgrown spider, and now we may need to put it down in a few years." He said.

Ahri turned her head to him questioningly. "Why have you not?" She asked.

"Because it is adding to the number of specters here. However, her work is sloppy. Sooner or later, more will come seeking to destroy us." He said with a heavy before turning around and continuing to walk.

The Nine-Tailed Fox began walking as well, following him at his side. "More? There have already been people to come here to destroy this place?" She asked, surprised. On one hand, she knew that Thresh and most of the others she knew from these islands were bad, evil in some cases, but she could not image someone coming to the Shadow Isles with the intend of destroying them all.

Thresh nodded his head. "Two came here not too long ago. A pair of dark skinned humans, one male and one female, who used weapons made of stone that produced a bright light." He said. He looked to his side and saw that she was curious, and asking him to go on. "Their weapons have the ability to mortally wound us, specters and undead, and keep us from reviving. Were someone like Caitlyn or Graves to shoot me, the bullet would simply harm my physical body, but these people used weapons that burned to my core." He informed her.

Ahri's eyes widened. "You fought with them?" She asked. He nodded. "What happened? Did you defeat them?" She asked.

Thresh shook his head. "I got the female, but the male escaped. Upside is I can break her to pieces before I turn my attention to him. Downside is I am in no condition to fight him again. So, long story short, there's another madman on the islands." He said. He smiled an odd smile, almost seeming sad. "I hate having competition." He said.

Ahri let out a giggle.

He began to laugh as well. "It is pretty funny. For centuries we've been killing people, and now this order comes along and starts killing us." He laughed. His laughter soon died down. "Still, he's killing specters I want to torture. I'll need to put him down eventually, or get him the hell off these islands." He said.

Ahri stopped giggling, and then looked up at him. "Wait. Is this the task you want me to do?" She asked.

Thresh turned back to her and smiled a large, bone-faced smile. "Exactly, and that is who we are going to see." He said.

The fox-girl stopped and grabbed his right arm, pulling him to a stop as well. "Wait a minute! How do you expect me to get this guy to leave the Shadow Isles!? You killed his girlfriend! He obvious wants revenge!" She said.

The specter looked up for a moment as he thought before speaking. "Maybe…" He said, and then started walking again, pulling her along despite her trying to pull him to a stop again. She did not dig in her heels, and he wanted to make sure she was not given the chance to. "To be fair, they came here and started killing us. The others were away at the time, and I had to stop them. _–Sigh-_ And I was just about to leave to capture a necromancer in Noxus too." He said with a heavy sigh.

She continued to protest. "What about me? If he has a weapon that can kill even specters, how can I beat him? I came here to avoid being killed, not to die fighting for this place!" She stated.

Finally, Thresh stopped.

Quickly, he let go of his scythe and lantern, gripped her right shoulder with his right hand and placed his left hand over her mouth, and then forced her down with him, into the cover of the bushes.

She began to protest with muffled words. "QUIET!" He whispered harshly. She turned a glare on him. "This is where he should be, somewhere around here." He said, and then her eyes widened.

She tried to turn her head to look around, but he would not let her. "The weapons he has can hurt you, but they cannot mortally wound you. They were made to kill the undead and evil beings, but to someone like you they should only feel like being punched." He whispered, keeping his voice down.

Reluctantly, she nodded, so he removed his hand from her mouth. With that done, she spoke quietly. "Should?" She asked skeptically.

"Do not worry, I'll be in the background helping as I can… but not in direct conflict." He said.

"Should?" She asked skeptically, again.

Thresh narrowed his eye sockets. "It's this guy who _shouldn't_ be able to kill you, or the Demancian guards who _can_ kill you." He said blankly. She did not waver. "Spears, swords, the gallows. Maybe they'll let you chose the method of death for your last request." He added.

Ahri sighed. "You promise to revive him if I get this guy to leave the Shadow Isles." He nodded. "And you will help me defeat him?" She asked. He nodded again.

Finally, she stood up and brought her orb toward her. She held it in her hand and sighed. "Alright, where is he-" She was interrupted when something flew past her head, causing splinters of bark from a dead tree to burst and fly past her. Not only had the wooden splinters flown past her, but she also saw the ghostly specter bark fly past her.

Ahri looked without turning her head to her left and listened as the tree behind her fell to the ground twice; once in the living world, and then again in the dead world. She then turned her eyes forward. What she saw made her eyes widen and her breath catch.

She stared into the cold green eyes of a man who did not fear death, but willing faced it alone. He was armed with two guns that looked like stones tied to handles made of sticks. He wore clothing of silver, black, and some purple that looked as though they would befit a noble, but it was evident that these fabrics were not intended for parties. His hair was done up in an usual way with long braids along the top and middle and the sides cut low to his scalp with a kind of zigzag pattern. His cloak, or perhaps cape, trailed off into two tails at the middle with the bottoms reaching to the ground. Strange ornaments, most likely meant to repel, track, or identify the undead could be seen connected to his pockets via chains of gold and silver.

Finally, his handsome, flawless, stone face stared back at her with an iron resolve the likes of which she had never seen before.

Ahri had to remain herself to take a breath as he lungs burned with the need for air. She had not expected Thresh to ask her to rid the Shadow Isles of an invader, and she certainly did not expect said invader to be so strikingly handsome.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" He said in a rugged, serious tone. Ahri was silent for a long time as she only stared at him, and then he lowered his gun. "Are you alright?" He asked.

"Oh gods please take me now…" She whispered.

The dark-skinned man stared at her in stunned amazement. "Excuse me?" He asked.

Ahri giggled slightly, smiled, and stepped forward. All nine of her tails immediately became active, waving to and fro excitedly as she strolled toward him with a seductive smile.

* * *

Thresh, in the meantime, waited under the cover of the brushes. Slowly, he shook his head. _"Whatever gets him the hell out of here… even if she has to have sex with him."_ He thought to himself, and then turned his head slightly. _"But I did not think she'd fall for him like this."_ He thought with an inner sigh.

If not for the wounds he had received during the battle with him and the female, he would have taken care of this intruder himself. As things were now, the specter was too weak to even challenge his own charges. Keeping his physical form was all he could manage for now, but he had refused to let the others know of his weakness.

In hind sight, he should have gotten Olaf to help him. The berserker would likely have relished the challenge, but then it was likely he'd be angry when he realized the guns could not kill him.

There was no reason to dwell on the negatives. Thresh had his assistant, and soon, hopefully, his problem would be settled. All he had to do was wait for Ahri to finish and provide support if she needed his help.

* * *

Ahri continued to stroll toward the mysterious undead killer, a seductively sly smile plastered on her face. Though she did intend to help Thresh so he would help her, she now intended to help herself.

She stopped when he aimed his guns at her. Rather than appear concerned, she leaned toward him and licked her licks in anticipation. "Hello, my name is Ahri. May I have yours?" She asked seductively, already working into her usual persona of hunting.

The man neither lowered his weapon nor changed his serious expression. "I will ask again: What are you doing here?" He said threateningly.

Ahri licked her lips once more, and then took a step forward only to be stopped when he shot the ground in front of her. She looked down at the smoking mark on the ground. She looked back up at him with a frown and placed her right index finger on her lower lip as she straightened. She wore an innocent look on her face. "I'm a kitsune. I was taken from my home of Ionia by a strange man in dark robes and flaming green hair." She said pleadingly.

The man's eyes did not soften. "You'll forgive me if I do not believe you." He said.

She tilted her head to the side, and then smiled her sultriest smile. "Is there a way I can change your mind?" She asked.

Without a word, he moved his gun up slightly, aligning it with her head, and then fired. A burst of multi-colored lights sprung forth from the end of the stone, gathering and concentrating into a single point to create a projectile of otherwise harmless energy.

Ahri was in awe at the beautiful spectrum of lights approaching her. She barely had time to blink before the projectile struck her square in the head, right between the eyes. She fell backwards as she gasped in shock, and then crashed to the ground on her back.

* * *

The man watched her, trying to tell if she was alive or dead. His weapons were designed to eradicate the undead and other evil forces, such as demons and monsters. If what she said was true, and she was only kidnapped by the same specter he hunted, then she would have survived.

He looked toward her tails as he noticed one of them twitch from the corner of his eye, and then took a step back when the kitsune sat up. She looked angry.

"What the hell!? You just shot me, you asshole!" She exclaimed with a glare and mouthful of fangs.

He lowered his weapons as he looked at her. "I am sorry, but I had to make sure you were not one of them. My weapons are intended to kill the undead, but they only hurt the living." He said, maintaining his serious tone and cold stare.

Still, she continued to glare. "So you shoot me?" She growled.

"As I said, it was the only way I could-" He began to say, but was interrupted when something glowing and round slammed into the back of his head. He stumbled forward, and, while trying to regain his footing from the sudden attack, saw the kitsune lunge toward him from a crouching stance.

She tackled him, causing him to grunt from the impact of her body against his, and then again when he felt the ground on his back. He closed his eyes as he landed, and then opened them to find the kitsune above him; their faces only an inch apart.

He tried to lift his arms, but found that her grip as much stronger than he had originally thought. She gripped him by his wrists hard enough and at the right angle to keep him from changing the positions of his weapons. It was surprising that she knew how to do this, so much so that he knew she was no ordinary kitsune.

And then he felt something wrapping around his arms and legs. He could not see what it was, but he could only assume it was her tails.

"Let me go!" He demanded, struggling against her.

He grunted in pain when he felt the wrappings around her arms tighten, and then felt her moving on top of him. He opened his right eye to see her straddling him at the waist and pulling her right arm back, her hand balled into a fist.

He shut his eyes tight when she threw the punch, fully expecting the blow.

Nothing came.

He opened his right eye again, and then his left. In front of him was not her fist, but a swirling mass of white, blue, green, and pink lights. "What the-" He began, but then the mass of lights slammed into his face with the force of a punch. It felt like his nose had been broken!

From his closed eyes, he could tell that the mass of lights moved away from his face. This time, when he opened his eyes, he saw the kitsune's face again, and this time it did not appear as angry. "Sorry about that." She said, and then got off of him. Just as he had guessed, she had held him down with the aid of her tails, which now unwrapped themselves from his arms and legs.

He was about to sit up when the mass of lights appeared in front of him once more. "What are you doing?" He asked, rising to his feet as he back away from the lights and readied his weapons. As he drew back, he noticed that it was an orb of some kind full of the lights.

"I had to make sure you were not an undead." He heard her say, and then looked up from the orb to see her fold her arms over the orb and her head atop her arms. She still appeared angry, but not so much now. She tilted her head to the left. "Doesn't feel quite right when you're the one being tested, does it?" She asked with a heated tone.

The man lowered his weapons as he watched her. "I am sorry, but these lands are dangerous and filled with evil, unnatural creatures. It would be best if you leave soon before you are recaptured or killed by one of them." He said.

Ahri's expression turned more defensive as her eyes narrowed. "I can take care of myself. How do you think I got away from the flame-headed ghost-man?" She assured him. In her mind, she was trying her best to make herself seem convincing. In truth, she did not fear the Shadow Isles due to her control over life essence, but she also had to make sure this man believed that she was kidnapped against her will. "What are you doing here?" She asked.

The man shook his head before meeting her eye-to-eye. "I came here to purify this place of the undead. Right now, you are in the way of my mission." He said, an unspoken threat in his eyes.

Ahri instead challenged him, a slow smile forming on her lips. "Then go around me." She said.

With that, he raised his weapons once more and began to fire at her.

* * *

Ahri dodged to the left and pushed her orb to the right, controlling its movements as she herself moved. Just as she thought, he fired with both of his guns; one at her and one at her orb.

She lowered her tails and let them wrap around one another to allow her a more aerodynamic form. Also, it kept her from being a larger target due to her tails. Still, she could tell he was a skilled marksman as his shots were very accurate. If not for her League matches against people like Caitlyn and Graves, she would have been peppered by nearly all of his shots. The grazes she did receive, however, still stung.

She took cover behind a tree for a moment to conjure her fox-fire while at the same time calling her orb toward her. She had made sure it would mimic her movements precisely, even if he managed to hit it, and commanded it to make a direct line toward her.

* * *

The man turned his head to the right, where he had seen the kitsune's orb fly, and saw it coming straight for him. He quickly turned both his guns on it, firing in quick succession.

A second later, he rolled to the right, avoiding it as it neither slowed nor lose any of its mass. He quickly regained his stance to see the orb move around a tree, where he knew the kitsune had taken cover from his barrage.

He turned both his guns on the tree and began to slowly strafe around it for a clear shot.

Before he could, he watched as several wisps of blue fire emerged from behind the tree. "Damn it." He muttered, and then began to fire on the wisps as they began to fly toward him.

* * *

When Ahri saw her fox-fire being shot, she took advantage of his distraction to leave her cover and make a straight line toward him.

She ran at full speed, allowing her tails to undo themselves, a wisp of fox-fire on each tail's tip. Behind her, out of sight, was her essence orb. Despite its longevity and resilience, he had managed to do a number on it. She'd have to fix it later, but for now she needed it to conjure her fox-fire.

She watched as the distance quickly closed between them, and as he noticed she was running toward him. He lowered his left weapon to try and stop her, but she blocked each shot with the fox-fire on her tails.

All she had to do was get close enough to him, and then he would be hers.

In a matter of moments, each one seeming like minutes, she finally collided with him. She wrapped her arms around his chest, four of her tails wrapping around his arms at his wrists and elbows, four of her tails around both of their legs, and the final tail around his neck.

As they flew through the air, Ahri craned her neck, moving her head to the side of his. Seductively, she whispered into his ear. "I win."

And then the both of them hit the ground.

* * *

Curious, Thresh looked over from his hiding spot to see what was going on. There was blue fire that had spread to small patches of dried grass and beginning to engulf a dead tree's branches, marks of where the two worlds had been hit by the mystic shots of the man's guns, and the mass of clothing and white fur that were the two.

The warden sighed inwardly before shrinking back into his hiding spotted.

He tapped the fingers of his left hand against his head, pausing momentarily when he did not feel the usual fire that enveloped his skull. He had turned off the spectral flames so as to not alert his presence to the man, and was grateful that Ahri had not said anything or gave any notice that he was present.

"_The fires should not spread past this twenty-foot diameter, the land will heal in time, and hopefully she's almost done."_ He thought, and then turned his head back to where he had last seen the two. _"I hope she doesn't kill him. Well, if she does, I can always harvest his soul and toy with him later. If not for that woman's lucky shot earlier, I would have made her pay before."_ He thought to himself.

He turned away to wait for them to either finish or for Ahri to call out for help. He just hoped she did not use any more fire.

* * *

The man grunted as he felt his back hit the ground hard, and then again when he felt something bite down on the soft flesh of his neck. He managed to lift his head just enough to see a head of black hair, and then realized that it was the kitsune. "Get off of me!" He demanded.

Ahri raised her head and looked up at him with a genuinely confused look on her face. "You mean you didn't want to have sex?" She asked.

He was shocked for a moment, but the fire quickly returned to his eyes along with the rage in his voice. "No! I am here to kill the undead, why would I want to have sex with a random woman!? For god's sake, I have a wi… _-groan-_" He began, but then groaned.

Ahri tilted her head. "I thought you were one of those tough guys that liked it rough." She said honestly.

By the expression on his face, it was obvious he was fighting off the effects of her lust inducing pheromones. "Wh- what did you do to me?" He groaned.

Ahri felt something hard press against her inner thigh. She looked back, past her tails, and then returned her gaze to his face and smiled playfully. "I bit you and injected some of my pheromones, which drives my partners into a lust-filled rage, depending on how much." She explained, and then tapped the center of his chest. "In your case, I only used enough for a quickie, or you can fight it off if your will is strong enough. It's much more effective through a kiss." She added.

The man did not appear to be paying much attention to her as he continued to groan and fight off the effects of her pheromones. "Why would you do this?" He asked with a restrained voice.

Ahri shrugged as she smiled playfully at him. "Because I find you very attractive." She answered causally.

"Is there any way you can remove it!?" He groaned with a restrained voice.

She stared at him in silence for a moment. "Why do you ask?" She asked.

"Because we are in a place full of evil, undead monstrosities that could come out at any moment to attack us!" He groaned. If not for her being on him, he'd already have his guns ready and surveying the area, or he would at least try. Thanks to her pheromones, whatever they were doing to him anyway, he could barely think straight. He was already having difficulty controlling himself and his urges.

She looked around, and then back to him. "Now that you mention it, it may be best to take this somewhere else." She said, thinking aloud. A thought came to her and she put her hands together. "I know! We can go to my room at the Institution of War." She said, and then began to lift him. "I'll carry you." She offered.

She threw him over her right shoulder, using her tails to aid in carrying his weight and keeping herself from being knocked off balance, and picked up his guns from the ground with her left hand and the tail that was around his neck. "Do not worry; the teleporter to the Institution is not far from here. Oh! You could even become a League Champion. That may even help you in your quest! There is this other hunter of evil called Vayne, and I am sure the two of you could be great friends." She said quickly, talking as she walked.

Mischievously, she smiled and slapped his butt with her right hand, and then felt his manhood poke at her arm from beneath his pants. "But that meeting is after we spend some time together." She said with a chuckle.

As he groaned and spoke, mostly complaining, threatening, or warning her most of which she did not care about, she sent her orb away to where Thresh had been. Thankfully, it was out of sight of the man she carried.

* * *

Thresh was about to get up and check on what was happening when he saw Ahri's orb fly toward him. He sat up a little straighter and heard her voice. "Remember your promise." She told him, her voice an echo of what it normally is. "And make sure my orb is undamaged until I get it back. You may take ten essences from it, but no more. Also, I hope you do not mind my not killing this man. Truth be honest, he's hot!"

The warden rolled his eyes at her comments. _"The man and woman come to the Shadow Isles, start killing the residents, try to kill me to free the souls I hold captive, and she wants to have sex with him. Well, at least she is making the man leave."_ He thought to himself.

After a few minutes, he did not hear anything, so he rose and surveyed the damage. The fires had gone out with nothing left to burn, the spectral remains were already being devoured by the spectral insect life, and the rest of the damage was too minor to worry about.

He let out a sigh as he took up Ahri's orb. Thanks to their weapon swap that one day, he knew how to connect with her orb and control it. While he did not know how to fully use it, he did know how to use it as though it were his lantern.

With his scythe, lantern, and Ahri's orb in hand, Thresh began the short trek back to his prison. He'd have to place the man's soul back into his body, but he still could not help but find it a shame that he'd have to restore a life.

* * *

Ahri smiled to herself as she kicked her feet back and forth against the stone wall she sat atop. She had just received a message earlier in the day from the diplomat asking if she would meet him again for another round, but she had turned him down. She did not say why, but it was because she did not want a repeat of last time. From on now, background checks would be a requirement, as well as an age standard.

She giggled to herself as she thought about all of the disappointed faces she'd see from now on.

"Ah, have you come for the sweet tones of misery?" Came a voice from behind below.

Ahri looked down and smiled at the sadistic grinning Chain Warden. "Not really. I just wanted to watch the sunrise from here." She said.

Thresh shrugged his shoulders before leaning against the stone wall under her. "You mortals will never cease to amaze me with your senseless wonderment." He muttered.

The Nine-Tailed Fox only giggled at his comment as she watched the sunrise over the islands of death. From her spot, she was able to watch clearly as the sun rose from the ocean horizon. "I really did not expect you to be here as well. I was sure you would be on that Pentakill tour across Valoran." She said.

The Chain Warden huffed at her comment. "Thanks to Lucian and his wife, Senna, I could not attend this tour. Besides…" He said, holding up his lantern to her. She turned her head toward him and leaned down slightly. She was only just able to make out the image of a woman's figure. "I already have a soul I am looking quite forward to playing with." He said with a satanic smile on his face.

Ahri appeared neither happy nor horrified by his future plans as she turned back to the beautiful sunrise. "Can I ask a favor from you?" She asked.

"Another one? Was it a Noxian diplomat this time?" He asked with a snicker.

Ahri shook her head slowly. "I was going to ask if you would not torture her." She said.

Thresh turned a look of both surprise and mild angry. "What?" He asked, slightly annoyed as he turned to her.

She did not turn her head as she spoke. "The other day, when I took Lucian from here, he was able to fully resist my pheromones to the point of unconsciousness." She said.

Thresh huffed. "So what?" He asked.

"While he was out, I heard him whispering about Senna. I felt really bad for him, and what had happened." She said.

Thresh only stared at her with a blank face. "They come to the Shadow Isles, start killing the residents, and would have killed many more if I had not found them. While it was for the intent of torturing them like I have done with others, a very small, very small, part of me knew that it was a tremendous deed to the islands as a whole." He leaned forward as though in pain. "Oh god! Doing good is painful!" He declared.

Ahri could not help but giggle at him. "Anyway, could you just do that for me? Please?" She asked, turning to him with a pleading, puppy-dog face.

Thresh's response was a glare for nearly a minute. Finally, he looked away. "I am in need of more of those… kinks, where they called?" He asked, looking up.

She blushed for a moment, and then nodded. "Yes, but they are sometimes called BDSM; bondage and submission, and sadomasochism or sadism and masochism." She looked away as she blushed again. "What kind of techniques do you desire to learn?" She asked, forcing her voice to stay clear.

Thresh did not seem to notice this embarrassment of hers. "I've wanted to try piercing, blindfolding, and near-fatal impalements for some time now." He said.

She looked down at him, this time horrified. "You mean large insertions!?" She gasped. He nodded his flaming head. She pushed herself down off of the wall and landed softly next to him. "What have you been doing before?" She asked, and then suddenly fearful of the answer.

Thresh put his left hand under his chin as he thought. "Well, before it was the usual flaying, skinning, and cutting. After your previous lessons, I've been using some of Evelynn's toys. Speaking of which, we sometimes have competitions to see who can leave their victim alive the longest." He said. He smiled a large grin. "Two days, eight hours, and twenty-three minutes is the record, and it is held by me." He announced proudly.

Ahri could only stare at him. _"Dear god what have I done?"_ She asked herself. She quickly shook her head, remembering why she had wanted to speak with him. "Please promise me that, if I help you with this, you will not torture Senna." She said. Even if she was not the type to love someone, she was a sucker for deep romances. One of her dreams for the future was becoming a wife to a man she loves after all, or perhaps a woman if she found them to be more preferable. Still, she had promised herself that she would try to ensure Senna did not suffer the same fate as Thresh's other victims.

The Chain Warden turned his head away. "If it is so much of a bother for you, why do you not keep her soul?" He asked with a grin.

Ahri swallowed, and then nodded. "If need be, and you will let me, I will." She said with a determined and confident tone.

Thresh turned his head to her, meeting her eye-to-eye, so to speak. They stared at one another for a long time, quietly testing one another's resolve.

After several minutes, Thresh waved his hand toward Ahri as though waving away smoke. "I did not plan on torturing her anyway." He said as he turned away from her.

Ahri could only stare at him. For as long as she had known him, which was not very long, she had never known him to take a life and not torture the soul. "Then why capture her soul? Why did not kill her and let her soul pass on?" She asked, genuinely confused and curious.

The Chain Warden did not turn to meet her eyes. "If I tell you, do you swear, upon your life, to tell no one or thing?" He said, and then turned his head to her for her answer.

Slowly, she nodded her head. "If I do, you may take my life and my soul without resistance." She said.

Thresh turned away from her. "The resistance is the fun part." He said.

"I mean before you capture me. I did not say I would not beg, plea, and lose hope instantly." She said with an annoyed look on her face.

He turned back her. Despite the fact that he lacked eyes, she could tell he was deadly serious. "Tell. No. One." He said, stressing each word.

She nodded without hesitation.

He slowly turned his head to his lantern and peered inside, directly at the woman's soul within. "This one, Senna… she reminds me of my wife from long ago." He said with a tone of sorrow.

Ahri was speechless.

Thresh, the Chain Warden and tormentor of countless people and souls, who stalked his victims like a vengeful spirit, who cared not for any but his own amusement, had just told her that he once loved someone.

"You mean… you're not a complete monster?" She asked.

Thresh barked a laugh. "Oh no, I am monster from the darkness corner of the world, but…" He said, turning back to the lantern as his voice softened. "Even a monster, with a heart as black as coal, can love." He added, bringing his right hand to the casing.

Unsurprisingly, the soul within did not look back toward him, but continued to stare off into the distance.

Thresh let out a sigh. "Even I can feel pain… whether it is from an enchanted weapon of evil's bane, or from something so simple as a memory of the past." He muttered mostly to him.

For literally the first time since she had known anything about the Shadow Isles, Ahri felt a pang of sorrow for this specter before her. She knew that he had caused harm to countless people in the past, she was even present for one of them, yet she was now seeing a side to the Chain Warden that no one else had ever seen before. At least not since he was alive.

"Can I ask who she was? Or what she was like?" Ahri asked, hoping that she was not prying.

Thresh shook his head. "That story is for another, but I will tell you this." He said, and then lowered his lantern to the ground before turning his head to her. "I was once an interrogator for the king, back when these islands were not as they are now. During that time, I still loved to cause people pain, which made me available for the job. As time went on, I eventually was given the prison I now keep, or did keep until there was the breakout and the prisoners killed me. Since then, I've lost many of my memories from life." He explained.

The fox-girl nodded sadly. "Your wife did not die too?" She asked timidly. He did not speak. "I'm guessing that's asking too much." She said.

"It is, yes." He said, and then picked up his lantern and scythe. "Well, I'll be going now. Even if this one is not on the list, I still love causing others pain, and I have a great many other souls to pick from." He said cheerfully, returning to usual satanic, sarcastic self.

Ahri smiled as she watched her psychopathic friend, and then began to follow. "If you do not mind, I would like to try some dominatrix play with one of your living prisoners." She requested.

Thresh turned his head to her. "Ah, then today is your lucky day. After I had dropped that diplomat off at Demacia, I found a Freljord mercenary traveling to the city-state to offer his services. You can break him in for me." He said with a charismatic tone.

Ahri nodded and brightened. "Only if you do not mind my taking some of his essence." She said playfully.

The warden laughed before he began to inform of her of where the storage room was and what lay within. Evelynn, being a regular partner in torturing the prisoners, often left many of her things in the prison for the next time she came.

Despite their differences and reasons, Thresh and Ahri did see one another as friends, and were able to connect on levels they could not with others.

* * *

_It will be explained in the next chapter, whenever I do that one, how Ahri got Lucian into the League. Until then, I hope everyone enjoys this chapter and the whole of the trilogy when I finish it._


End file.
